KULIM, May 23 (Bernama) -- Former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam said he sympathised with sacked party Youth deputy chief V. Mugilan but denied cooperating with him to form the Gerakan Anti Samy Vellu (GAS) or Anti-Samy Vellu Movement.
"The accusation by newly appointed MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) member S. Vell Paari, who is also Samy Vellu's son, that we had cooperated in forming GAS, as reported by a Tamil newspaper today, is malicious," he said.
Speaking to reporters after officiating at the Sri Subramaniar temple anniversary celebration in Serdang, near here, today, Subramaniam said since being involved in politics, he had never "stabbed people in the back".
He said he was still discussing with his lawyer whether to sue Vell Paari for defamation.
Subramaniam, however, believed that Mugilan's setting up of GAS to pressure Samy Vellu to step down as party president would receive strong support from the party grassroots nationwide.
"Not only the MIC grassroot leaders want Samy Vellu to leave now, but former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also advised him to step down two years ago," he said.
Subramaniam claimed that Samy Vellu had sacked about 100,000 party members since he became president 31 years ago.
"The sooner the transfer of power is made, the better it is for MIC as the Indian community has been waiting for a dynamic transformation under a new party leadership," he said.
-- BERNAMA
*****
The Star
KULIM: Former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam believes that tens of thousands of Indians who were thrown out of the MIC will return to the party after president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu steps down.
He claimed that over 100,000 members left the party after Samy Vellu closed down their branches in the last 30 years, adding that almost all Indian Progressive Front (IPF) members were originally MIC members.
However, he said the atmosphere must be right and the party's successor has to win their support to lure them back to the party.
He was speaking to reporters after participating in a consecration ceremony at the Sri Subramaniam Temple in Serdang here Sunday.
Citing an example, he said seven branches with about 800 members in the Kulim-Bandar Baharu MIC division here were closed in February.
Subramaniam also quashed allegations that he was behind calls for Samy Vellu to step down earlier than September next year.
He also condemned MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) member S. Vell Paari for alleging that sacked Youth deputy chief V. Mugilan was being used as his (Subramaniam's) stooge in calling for Samy Vellu's early exit.
“I have not spoken to Mugilan for about a year although I might have exchanged a friendly hello with him in a few functions. I have nothing to do with what Mugilan does or anybody else who asked Samy Vellu to go.
“I did not want to advise Samy Vellu because it will fall on deaf ears as he never takes good advice,” he said, adding that Samy Vellu did not even heed former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's advice to retire two years ago.
However, Subramaniam said if his views were sought, he would say: “If you (Samy Vellu) are retiring, please do so as quickly as possible, so that it will give the successor time to prepare and strengthen the party by uniting the various splinter groups,” he said.
********
KULIM: Former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam believes that tens of thousands of Indians who were thrown out of the MIC will return to the party after president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu steps down.
He claimed that over 100,000 members left the party after Samy Vellu closed down their branches in the last 30 years, adding that almost all Indian Progressive Front (IPF) members were originally MIC members.
However, he said the atmosphere must be right and the party's successor has to win their support to lure them back to the party.
He was speaking to reporters after participating in a consecration ceremony at the Sri Subramaniam Temple in Serdang here Sunday.
Citing an example, he said seven branches with about 800 members in the Kulim-Bandar Baharu MIC division here were closed in February.
Subramaniam also quashed allegations that he was behind calls for Samy Vellu to step down earlier than September next year.
He also condemned MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) member S. Vell Paari for alleging that sacked Youth deputy chief V. Mugilan was being used as his (Subramaniam's) stooge in calling for Samy Vellu's early exit.
“I have not spoken to Mugilan for about a year although I might have exchanged a friendly hello with him in a few functions. I have nothing to do with what Mugilan does or anybody else who asked Samy Vellu to go.
“I did not want to advise Samy Vellu because it will fall on deaf ears as he never takes good advice,” he said, adding that Samy Vellu did not even heed former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's advice to retire two years ago.
However, Subramaniam said if his views were sought, he would say: “If you (Samy Vellu) are retiring, please do so as quickly as possible, so that it will give the successor time to prepare and strengthen the party by uniting the various splinter groups,” he said.
******
Sunday May 23, 2010
MIC chief vows to fight his critics
GENTING HIGHLANDS: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has vowed to take action against those who attempt to break or destroy the party which he says is the sole representative of the Indian community in the country.
“I will not leave those who attempt to destroy the party,” he said.
He also implied that those doing so would face disciplinary action when he said “they will have more free time.” Without mentioning names, he said some quarters were trying to destabilise the party.
“The MIC is 64 years old and it will continue its struggle to champion the rights of the Indians. Those who stand and fight will always be the winner,” he said, when opening the Pahang MIC annual general meeting here yesterday.
Sacked MIC Youth deputy leader V. Mugilan and two other Central Working Committee members K. P. Samy and K. Kumar Aamaan had asked for Samy Vellu’s early retirement.
Samy, who attended the AGM, was seated at the back row and left the event at the end of Samy Vellu’s speech.
Pahang delegates at the AGM unanimously passed a resolution to support the party president’s deadline to step down.
Samy Vellu had announced earlier that although his term as president expires on May 21, 2012, he would leave eight or nine months earlier and pass the baton to his deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel.
“Is it (announcement) an offence? Today everyone seems to be giving statements to the press on this, without any merits,” he said, adding that these irresponsible people want to see the demise of the MIC.
Samy Vellu said that the right to elect a president lies in the hands of the 4,000 MIC branch chairmen.
“If the branch chairmen tell me to go, then I am willing to leave this post. They have a right to ask me to vacate the post. But small boys should not issue statements,” he said.
Samy Vellu said that he took office as president on Oct 13, 1979 and had worked hard for the betterment of the Indian community.
Bernama quoted Palanivel reiterating his support for Samy Vellu and the party president’s decision to step down in September next year.
“In the past, I have said that Samy Vellu has to be the one to decide when to leave. Now that he has decided to set the time to leave, let us work to ensure a smooth transition.
***
A new movement to oust Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has been launched, but the big question is: will the MIC president leave honourably?
HEADY times have returned to the MIC.
Where the bone of contention was the future of Maika Holdings, the Telekoms share scandal and party in-fighting, this time the source of angst is the future of long-serving party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu himself.
Deputy Youth leader V. Mugilan, speaking for the silent majority in the MIC, has boldly belled the cat, demanding publicly that Samy Vellu step down immediately and not carry on until September 2011, as the president had announced last Sunday, unexpectedly giving himself another year in office.
For that, Mugilan was summarily sacked by Samy Vellu, but on Friday two elected Central Working Committee members - businessmen K.P. Samy and Kumar Aamaan - also urged Samy Vellu to step down by July 10, the date of the party's upcoming 64th annual general meeting.
“He should not cling on even a day longer,” they said.
“What does he want to do in another year that he could not achieve over the last 30 years?” they asked.
Samy Vellu has vowed not to budge to the unprecedented demands to leave immediately.
“I will step down next September. Not a day earlier,” Samy Vellu announced on Friday, setting the stage for a major tussle in and outside the MIC over his continued tenure as party president.
The subject of his “early” retirement is not just a matter in the MIC but also the Indian community and the larger Malaysian society.
Barisan Nasional is actively wooing the alienated Indian community with numerous friendly measures and with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak willing and ready to do more, the continued attendance of Samy Vellu as MIC president is seen as a major obstacle to rapprochement.
Controversy has always dogged Samy Vellu, although he started numerous beneficial projects especially in education to uplift the Indian poor, and some of the projects remain viable and have great potential for growth, like the AIMST University in Kedah.
But many questions remain unanswered about his 31-year career as party president.
These questions, especially those linked with the failed Maika Holdings experiment and ownership of party assets and party enterprises like the AIMST University, are a major cloud over his tenure.
These aside, the problem is that he has simply overstayed his welcome. Three decades is nearly a decade too long to be sole president of a party.
It's as simple as that - MIC members and Malaysians need a new man at the helm. Any new MIC leader would be a big welcome, any change after over three decades of accepting Samy Vellu at the helm would be hearty.
No doubt some of these years had been entertaining, what with Samy Vellu's fiery temper and penchant for political drama that made for good reading and the butt of national jokes.
But all good things must come to an end, and an honourable exit is a major concern.
That's why we admire people like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, who held power for long but eventually saw the writing on the wall.
If history is a lesson, the ability to walk away is part and parcel of the skill to take and hold power.
For Barisan, especially, which is facing a “do or die” battle in the next general election, a new man at the helm of the MIC would be a major boost in the effort to win Indian voter support.
A new leader would automatically give hope and win support and energise the community, as the rise of Najib as Prime Minister in April last year did for the country.
Samy Vellu's “earlier” retirement would give Barisan and the MIC breathing space to prepare them for the big battle ahead.
Although Samy Vellu says he will leave “eight or nine” months before his term expires in May 2012 and that he needs the time to “re-arrange” the party, we can't accept this as a valid reason because he had three decades to do any “re-arranging”.
It is too late in the day to “re-arrange” the MIC. Samy Vellu simply has problems giving it up and by clinging on he has sparked a movement to oust him.
MIC leaders are starting to openly rebel against the president and several have been sacked.
It begs the question: how many more critics can the president sack for speaking up?
Ironically, in the early 1970s, it was Samy Vellu who led the vocal movement against then MIC president Tun V.T. Sambanthan to step down and helped to install Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam as the leader.
Today, it is Mugilan who has boldly stepped forward in a repeat of MIC history, setting up the Gerakan Anti-Samy movement (GAS) to oust Samy Vellu.
The movement is organising its first meeting on May 30 and the crowd is expected to be big, because all the people and organisations that Samy Vellu had, in one way or another, hurt are expected to turn up to show their support as they did when Samy Vellu rallied Indians against Sambanthan five decades ago.
The outcome then was the ouster of Sambanthan. The outcome now cannot be any different.
"The accusation by newly appointed MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) member S. Vell Paari, who is also Samy Vellu's son, that we had cooperated in forming GAS, as reported by a Tamil newspaper today, is malicious," he said.
Speaking to reporters after officiating at the Sri Subramaniar temple anniversary celebration in Serdang, near here, today, Subramaniam said since being involved in politics, he had never "stabbed people in the back".
He said he was still discussing with his lawyer whether to sue Vell Paari for defamation.
Subramaniam, however, believed that Mugilan's setting up of GAS to pressure Samy Vellu to step down as party president would receive strong support from the party grassroots nationwide.
"Not only the MIC grassroot leaders want Samy Vellu to leave now, but former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also advised him to step down two years ago," he said.
Subramaniam claimed that Samy Vellu had sacked about 100,000 party members since he became president 31 years ago.
"The sooner the transfer of power is made, the better it is for MIC as the Indian community has been waiting for a dynamic transformation under a new party leadership," he said.
-- BERNAMA
*****
The Star
Sacked MIC members will return when Samy Vellu resigns, says Subra
By DERRICK VINESHKULIM: Former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam believes that tens of thousands of Indians who were thrown out of the MIC will return to the party after president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu steps down.
He claimed that over 100,000 members left the party after Samy Vellu closed down their branches in the last 30 years, adding that almost all Indian Progressive Front (IPF) members were originally MIC members.
However, he said the atmosphere must be right and the party's successor has to win their support to lure them back to the party.
He was speaking to reporters after participating in a consecration ceremony at the Sri Subramaniam Temple in Serdang here Sunday.
Citing an example, he said seven branches with about 800 members in the Kulim-Bandar Baharu MIC division here were closed in February.
Subramaniam also quashed allegations that he was behind calls for Samy Vellu to step down earlier than September next year.
He also condemned MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) member S. Vell Paari for alleging that sacked Youth deputy chief V. Mugilan was being used as his (Subramaniam's) stooge in calling for Samy Vellu's early exit.
“I have not spoken to Mugilan for about a year although I might have exchanged a friendly hello with him in a few functions. I have nothing to do with what Mugilan does or anybody else who asked Samy Vellu to go.
“I did not want to advise Samy Vellu because it will fall on deaf ears as he never takes good advice,” he said, adding that Samy Vellu did not even heed former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's advice to retire two years ago.
However, Subramaniam said if his views were sought, he would say: “If you (Samy Vellu) are retiring, please do so as quickly as possible, so that it will give the successor time to prepare and strengthen the party by uniting the various splinter groups,” he said.
********
Sacked MIC members will return when Samy Vellu resigns, says Subra
By DERRICK VINESHKULIM: Former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam believes that tens of thousands of Indians who were thrown out of the MIC will return to the party after president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu steps down.
He claimed that over 100,000 members left the party after Samy Vellu closed down their branches in the last 30 years, adding that almost all Indian Progressive Front (IPF) members were originally MIC members.
However, he said the atmosphere must be right and the party's successor has to win their support to lure them back to the party.
He was speaking to reporters after participating in a consecration ceremony at the Sri Subramaniam Temple in Serdang here Sunday.
Citing an example, he said seven branches with about 800 members in the Kulim-Bandar Baharu MIC division here were closed in February.
Subramaniam also quashed allegations that he was behind calls for Samy Vellu to step down earlier than September next year.
He also condemned MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) member S. Vell Paari for alleging that sacked Youth deputy chief V. Mugilan was being used as his (Subramaniam's) stooge in calling for Samy Vellu's early exit.
“I have not spoken to Mugilan for about a year although I might have exchanged a friendly hello with him in a few functions. I have nothing to do with what Mugilan does or anybody else who asked Samy Vellu to go.
“I did not want to advise Samy Vellu because it will fall on deaf ears as he never takes good advice,” he said, adding that Samy Vellu did not even heed former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's advice to retire two years ago.
However, Subramaniam said if his views were sought, he would say: “If you (Samy Vellu) are retiring, please do so as quickly as possible, so that it will give the successor time to prepare and strengthen the party by uniting the various splinter groups,” he said.
******
Sunday May 23, 2010
MIC chief vows to fight his critics
GENTING HIGHLANDS: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has vowed to take action against those who attempt to break or destroy the party which he says is the sole representative of the Indian community in the country.
“I will not leave those who attempt to destroy the party,” he said.
He also implied that those doing so would face disciplinary action when he said “they will have more free time.” Without mentioning names, he said some quarters were trying to destabilise the party.
“The MIC is 64 years old and it will continue its struggle to champion the rights of the Indians. Those who stand and fight will always be the winner,” he said, when opening the Pahang MIC annual general meeting here yesterday.
Sacked MIC Youth deputy leader V. Mugilan and two other Central Working Committee members K. P. Samy and K. Kumar Aamaan had asked for Samy Vellu’s early retirement.
Samy, who attended the AGM, was seated at the back row and left the event at the end of Samy Vellu’s speech.
Pahang delegates at the AGM unanimously passed a resolution to support the party president’s deadline to step down.
Samy Vellu had announced earlier that although his term as president expires on May 21, 2012, he would leave eight or nine months earlier and pass the baton to his deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel.
“Is it (announcement) an offence? Today everyone seems to be giving statements to the press on this, without any merits,” he said, adding that these irresponsible people want to see the demise of the MIC.
Samy Vellu said that the right to elect a president lies in the hands of the 4,000 MIC branch chairmen.
“If the branch chairmen tell me to go, then I am willing to leave this post. They have a right to ask me to vacate the post. But small boys should not issue statements,” he said.
Samy Vellu said that he took office as president on Oct 13, 1979 and had worked hard for the betterment of the Indian community.
Bernama quoted Palanivel reiterating his support for Samy Vellu and the party president’s decision to step down in September next year.
“In the past, I have said that Samy Vellu has to be the one to decide when to leave. Now that he has decided to set the time to leave, let us work to ensure a smooth transition.
***
Rising chorus against Samy
A new movement to oust Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has been launched, but the big question is: will the MIC president leave honourably?
HEADY times have returned to the MIC.
Where the bone of contention was the future of Maika Holdings, the Telekoms share scandal and party in-fighting, this time the source of angst is the future of long-serving party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu himself.
Deputy Youth leader V. Mugilan, speaking for the silent majority in the MIC, has boldly belled the cat, demanding publicly that Samy Vellu step down immediately and not carry on until September 2011, as the president had announced last Sunday, unexpectedly giving himself another year in office.
For that, Mugilan was summarily sacked by Samy Vellu, but on Friday two elected Central Working Committee members - businessmen K.P. Samy and Kumar Aamaan - also urged Samy Vellu to step down by July 10, the date of the party's upcoming 64th annual general meeting.
“He should not cling on even a day longer,” they said.
“What does he want to do in another year that he could not achieve over the last 30 years?” they asked.
Samy Vellu has vowed not to budge to the unprecedented demands to leave immediately.
“I will step down next September. Not a day earlier,” Samy Vellu announced on Friday, setting the stage for a major tussle in and outside the MIC over his continued tenure as party president.
The subject of his “early” retirement is not just a matter in the MIC but also the Indian community and the larger Malaysian society.
Barisan Nasional is actively wooing the alienated Indian community with numerous friendly measures and with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak willing and ready to do more, the continued attendance of Samy Vellu as MIC president is seen as a major obstacle to rapprochement.
Controversy has always dogged Samy Vellu, although he started numerous beneficial projects especially in education to uplift the Indian poor, and some of the projects remain viable and have great potential for growth, like the AIMST University in Kedah.
But many questions remain unanswered about his 31-year career as party president.
These questions, especially those linked with the failed Maika Holdings experiment and ownership of party assets and party enterprises like the AIMST University, are a major cloud over his tenure.
These aside, the problem is that he has simply overstayed his welcome. Three decades is nearly a decade too long to be sole president of a party.
It's as simple as that - MIC members and Malaysians need a new man at the helm. Any new MIC leader would be a big welcome, any change after over three decades of accepting Samy Vellu at the helm would be hearty.
No doubt some of these years had been entertaining, what with Samy Vellu's fiery temper and penchant for political drama that made for good reading and the butt of national jokes.
But all good things must come to an end, and an honourable exit is a major concern.
That's why we admire people like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, who held power for long but eventually saw the writing on the wall.
If history is a lesson, the ability to walk away is part and parcel of the skill to take and hold power.
For Barisan, especially, which is facing a “do or die” battle in the next general election, a new man at the helm of the MIC would be a major boost in the effort to win Indian voter support.
A new leader would automatically give hope and win support and energise the community, as the rise of Najib as Prime Minister in April last year did for the country.
Samy Vellu's “earlier” retirement would give Barisan and the MIC breathing space to prepare them for the big battle ahead.
Although Samy Vellu says he will leave “eight or nine” months before his term expires in May 2012 and that he needs the time to “re-arrange” the party, we can't accept this as a valid reason because he had three decades to do any “re-arranging”.
It is too late in the day to “re-arrange” the MIC. Samy Vellu simply has problems giving it up and by clinging on he has sparked a movement to oust him.
MIC leaders are starting to openly rebel against the president and several have been sacked.
It begs the question: how many more critics can the president sack for speaking up?
Ironically, in the early 1970s, it was Samy Vellu who led the vocal movement against then MIC president Tun V.T. Sambanthan to step down and helped to install Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam as the leader.
Today, it is Mugilan who has boldly stepped forward in a repeat of MIC history, setting up the Gerakan Anti-Samy movement (GAS) to oust Samy Vellu.
The movement is organising its first meeting on May 30 and the crowd is expected to be big, because all the people and organisations that Samy Vellu had, in one way or another, hurt are expected to turn up to show their support as they did when Samy Vellu rallied Indians against Sambanthan five decades ago.
The outcome then was the ouster of Sambanthan. The outcome now cannot be any different.
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