KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — In a last ditch attempt to unify a fragmented MIC, party president Datuk Seri
S. Samy Vellu pleaded today with his party to be united and to ignore splinter groups or factions within the country’s small Indian community.
Samy Vellu blamed these splinter groups for splitting the votes of the Indian community which resulted in a major loss of votes for ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN).
“Many of us are guilty of splitting the Indian community into various small, insignificant and fragmented groups who claim to champion their narrow-based causes.
“In one corner, we have NGOs who laud to champion for purposes of education whereas on the other corner we have Indian groups that claim to represent the voices of the underprivileged,” Samy Vellu said when opening the party’s annual congress here.
The longest-serving MIC president claimed that these groups would not be able to sustain their presence as they did not have a “clear road map” for the Indian community.
“As much of us love to deny the truth, it is a matter of fact that despite all the challenges faced, MIC persists to remain strong, relevant, vibrant and is the one and only voice of the Indian community,” he said at the MIC 64th General Assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here.
In his presidential address, Samy Vellu said that whatever decisions he had made during the last 30 years in the party was “for the people”.
In a swipe at his harshest critics, Samy Vellu said that he was aware that his decisions did not always sit down well with some people.
“There were many instances whereby my decisions were disliked but I believe that as a leader I had done what was right for the people,” he said.
The former Works Minister’s remarks come amid strong pressures from within and outside the party to have him removed as party president.
An anti-Samy movement, (GAS), formed in the last few weeks led by MIC members who had been expelled by Samy himself have been going on a campaign to discredit the veteran politician.
But Samy defended himself today by reiterating that the decisions that he had made, though unpopular were necessary for MIC’s advancement.
“Over the last 30 years, I have devoted my life and exuberance to and for the community, party and the government. The state of the party was much to be desired 30 years ago, and it was then that I decided to embark upon a journey of change and transformation in order to bring the Indian community to achieve what others have and at the same time to take charge of their lives and future,” said Samy.
The MIC man claimed that the party’s various contributions to the country’s growth were evident, using the examples of MIC-owned AIMST University and Tafe College.
Samy told delegates that he would seek the BN government’s support to allocate a quota of 15 per cent of all funds made available for the SMEs to be channeled to Indian SMEs.
The MIC president claimed that Indian SMEs could contribute one to 1.5 per cent to the country’s economical growth.
“I take this opportunity to invite all Indian based parties to close ranks and work closely with MIC, from either within or from outside at the national, state and district level for the betterment of the community. Let’s unite as a united Indian force as this is essential to see Barisan Nasional through the upcoming General Election,” added Samy.
But despite all of Samy’s bravado, his speech did not quite receive the encouraging response expected from the 2,000 odd delegates present.
But MIC vice-president Datuk S.K. Devamany believes that majority of the party members were solidly behind Samy’s leadership.
“The delegates want a clear blueprint of what is in store for the Indian community. The issue of leadership, everyone is with Samy, the MIC wants a smooth leadership transition and we believe the president has the wisdom to do just that,” Devamany told The Malaysian Insider.
“We recognise that there has been neglect towards the Indian community. The time has now come for us to put it right, to reassure a better future for Indians in the country,” said Devamany.
Datuk Seri Samy Vellu pleaded with his party to be united and to ignore splinter groups within the country’s small Indian community — Picture by Choo Choy May
Samy Vellu blamed these splinter groups for splitting the votes of the Indian community which resulted in a major loss of votes for ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN).
“Many of us are guilty of splitting the Indian community into various small, insignificant and fragmented groups who claim to champion their narrow-based causes.
“In one corner, we have NGOs who laud to champion for purposes of education whereas on the other corner we have Indian groups that claim to represent the voices of the underprivileged,” Samy Vellu said when opening the party’s annual congress here.
The longest-serving MIC president claimed that these groups would not be able to sustain their presence as they did not have a “clear road map” for the Indian community.
“As much of us love to deny the truth, it is a matter of fact that despite all the challenges faced, MIC persists to remain strong, relevant, vibrant and is the one and only voice of the Indian community,” he said at the MIC 64th General Assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here.
In his presidential address, Samy Vellu said that whatever decisions he had made during the last 30 years in the party was “for the people”.
In a swipe at his harshest critics, Samy Vellu said that he was aware that his decisions did not always sit down well with some people.
“There were many instances whereby my decisions were disliked but I believe that as a leader I had done what was right for the people,” he said.
The former Works Minister’s remarks come amid strong pressures from within and outside the party to have him removed as party president.
An anti-Samy movement, (GAS), formed in the last few weeks led by MIC members who had been expelled by Samy himself have been going on a campaign to discredit the veteran politician.
But Samy defended himself today by reiterating that the decisions that he had made, though unpopular were necessary for MIC’s advancement.
“Over the last 30 years, I have devoted my life and exuberance to and for the community, party and the government. The state of the party was much to be desired 30 years ago, and it was then that I decided to embark upon a journey of change and transformation in order to bring the Indian community to achieve what others have and at the same time to take charge of their lives and future,” said Samy.
The MIC man claimed that the party’s various contributions to the country’s growth were evident, using the examples of MIC-owned AIMST University and Tafe College.
Samy told delegates that he would seek the BN government’s support to allocate a quota of 15 per cent of all funds made available for the SMEs to be channeled to Indian SMEs.
The MIC president claimed that Indian SMEs could contribute one to 1.5 per cent to the country’s economical growth.
“I take this opportunity to invite all Indian based parties to close ranks and work closely with MIC, from either within or from outside at the national, state and district level for the betterment of the community. Let’s unite as a united Indian force as this is essential to see Barisan Nasional through the upcoming General Election,” added Samy.
But despite all of Samy’s bravado, his speech did not quite receive the encouraging response expected from the 2,000 odd delegates present.
But MIC vice-president Datuk S.K. Devamany believes that majority of the party members were solidly behind Samy’s leadership.
“The delegates want a clear blueprint of what is in store for the Indian community. The issue of leadership, everyone is with Samy, the MIC wants a smooth leadership transition and we believe the president has the wisdom to do just that,” Devamany told The Malaysian Insider.
“We recognise that there has been neglect towards the Indian community. The time has now come for us to put it right, to reassure a better future for Indians in the country,” said Devamany.
No comments:
Post a Comment