MIC Warns Of Disciplinary Action Against Errant Members

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 (Bernama) -- The MIC on Tuesday gave a warning that disciplinary action would be taken against any of its members who tried to sow discord or tarnished the good name of the party.

Its president Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu said several MIC members were involved in a meeting in Klang on Sunday and were said to have claimed that MIC was no longer relevant as a component party representing the Indian community in the Barisan Nasional (BN).

"MIC's disciplinary committe will act against any member (who attempts to tarnish the image of the party) irrespective of their status," he told reporters after chairing a meeting of the party's central working committee (CWC) here.

Samy Vellu said legal action would also be taken against veteran MIC leader Datuk V.Govindaraj, who has been sacked, for making remarks that brought the party into disrepute ahead of MIC's general assembly on Sept 12.

On claims by some losing candidates of irregularities in MIC's polls held the same day, Samy Vellu said they had been given the opportunity to file complaints within one week of the polls.

"They had witnessed for themselves the conduct of the polls and had signed letters vouching the results," he said.

Samy Vellu said the party had also set up special committee headed by Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria to collect information to be submitted to the government for the formulation of the Tenth Malaysia Plan.

He added that the committee would work together with non-governmental organisations and other related parties in the matter.

-- BERNAMA

Rebel Leader and MIC CWC Member K P Samy speaking to media after the meeting

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The Malay Mail

MIC leaders stand up for party

Submitted by pekwan on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

But Samy Vellu has to go, says senior leader

NAJIAH NAJIB

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

DESPITE the seeming disarray in the Indian political landscape, Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) leaders remain optimistic about the future of the community.

Their fiery spirit of nationalism is strongly felt and projected. They believe in standing and fighting for what is right.

Yesterday, we highlighted Human Rights Party Malaysia’s (HRP) call to the Indian community to boycott the Oct 11 Bagan Pinang by-election, a call that has not gone down well with MIC leaders.

Another issue highlighted in yesterday’s Malay Mail was the MIC’s “relevance survey” held in Klang by the so-called “Subramaniam supporters ad-hoc committee” two nights ago.

On this, two of the three political figures we spoke to deemed the survey as invalid as it failed to capture the overall sentiment of the Indian community, while the other fully agreed that MIC was no longer relevant.

This was what they had to say: MIC vice-president, Datuk S. Sothinathan On the Bagan Pinang by-election boycott: It is wrong of HRP to call on the Indian community not to vote. By saying this, it means you are telling people to forego their fundamental right! That is not the right thing to do. It is an individual’s right to vote for whoever they want, or if they want to vote at all.

On the MIC “relevance survey”: The survey may have only involved a small group, so it may not represent
the actual sentiment of the entire party, let alone the Indian community. If it was a random survey conducted among the people and party members, then maybe it would have some substance.

The fact that there is no unifying factor in the MIC is not a healthy sign. There is a strong call for changes in the Indian community and leaders must go to the ground to study the matter more closely and solve their problems. Only then will the community be able to unite again.

MIC Youth chief, T. Mohan On the Bagan Pinang by-election boycott: I don’t consider HRP a real political party in the first place, due to the lack of credibility of its founding members. HRP has no right to tell people not to vote. The people of Bagan Pinang are mature enough to know what is best for the community there. It is up to them to decide on who their leader should be. They don’t need to have other people, especially those who are of no concern to the area at all, to tell them what to do.

On the MIC “relevance survey”: Many of those who took the survey weren’t even party members, so the exercise doesn’t capture the sentiments of the entire Indian community.

All political parties have problems and MIC is not spared. Do you think Umno or MCA will agree to have another race-based party within the coalition? I doubt it. Not only would it be redundant but it would further segregate the members. I have a strong feeling the survey was not done to capture the sentiment of the Indian community but more of an indirect attack against Samy Vellu (MIC chief Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu), whom they clearly dislike. I don’t consider this a proper survey.

Senior MIC leader, Datuk V. Govindaraju On the Bagan Pinang by-election boycott: I disagree with the call by HRP. The voters should not boycott the election, simply because it is their responsibility to the country to carry out that duty. I still believe that we have a stable government in Malaysia, with all major races participating in the administration. All this bickering should be kept in check and not cause further stress to the country and the rakyat.

On the MIC “relevance survey”: I have to agree with the survey’s outcome that MIC is no longer relevant, solely because of Samy Vellu’s leadership, or lack thereof. It is because of him that the Indian community is shattered to pieces and right now, everyone is trying to pick up the pieces. The way I see it, MIC lacks a true leader and that has caused the party to become irrelevant. Now, it is crucial for other Indian leaders to find a unifying factor for the community because Samy Vellu has failed drastically.