COMMENT The kingdom is on fire and there is a battle raging for the throne. This is a Tamil adage that best describes the conundrum in MIC.

It was once a thriving kingdom, replete with power and riches. It served as the route for Indian Malaysians, with brains or brawn, to become political titans and amass fortunes.

But this changed in 2008. The kingdom's knights and court officials suffered near obliteration while the king himself was dethroned after ruling for three decades.

Then a new king was installed amid much pomp and pageantry, with his loyal subjects hailing his ascension as a new dawn, where transparency and good governance would prevail.

But he too was unable to restore the kingdom's former glory...