KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said Friday he had already discussed his retirement plan with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last June and would stick to it.
"I had a frank discussion with the Prime Minister when I met him in Sarawak where I told him of my (retirement) plan.
"I will keep to my word to the Prime Minister and I will not change (my plan)," he said when contacted here.
He said Najib was aware of his retirement plan but he declined to reveal it, saying that it was between him and the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman.
On former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement that he was a liability to the BN, Samy Vellu said Dr Mahathir was entitled to his opinion.
"I'm not hurt by his comments and my respect for him will never diminish," he said.
However, he said, he was sad that Tun Dr Mahathir labelled him a liability only now "but when the BN was winning (in general elections), I was considered an asset".
"I'm not at all surprised at his comments but I think he refuses to understand that the BN lost (many seats) in the last general election not due to me.
"An experiencde man (politician) like him should understand that," he said.
Samy Vellu described Tun Dr Mahathir's comments as akin to "telling a young wife that she is beautiful and an asset, but when she becomes old, she is branded a liability".
Tun Dr Mahathir, in an interview with Bernama on Thursday, said Samy Vellu would become a liability to the BN in the next general election because of his failed leadership and he should resign to take responsibility for the MIC's failure in the last general election.
"I had a frank discussion with the Prime Minister when I met him in Sarawak where I told him of my (retirement) plan.
"I will keep to my word to the Prime Minister and I will not change (my plan)," he said when contacted here.
He said Najib was aware of his retirement plan but he declined to reveal it, saying that it was between him and the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman.
On former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement that he was a liability to the BN, Samy Vellu said Dr Mahathir was entitled to his opinion.
"I'm not hurt by his comments and my respect for him will never diminish," he said.
However, he said, he was sad that Tun Dr Mahathir labelled him a liability only now "but when the BN was winning (in general elections), I was considered an asset".
"I'm not at all surprised at his comments but I think he refuses to understand that the BN lost (many seats) in the last general election not due to me.
"An experiencde man (politician) like him should understand that," he said.
Samy Vellu described Tun Dr Mahathir's comments as akin to "telling a young wife that she is beautiful and an asset, but when she becomes old, she is branded a liability".
Tun Dr Mahathir, in an interview with Bernama on Thursday, said Samy Vellu would become a liability to the BN in the next general election because of his failed leadership and he should resign to take responsibility for the MIC's failure in the last general election.
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