'Gov't splitting Indian community' - Malaysiakini

Voices of dissent reverberated through Dewan Merdeka in the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur as MIC delegates took to the microphone to air their views.

One delegate slammed the Barisan Nasional government for playing a double game by causing fissures in the Indian community and working against MIC.

"This government wants Indian support but at the same time works on splitting Indians," stressed S Pulikesi from Batu Gajah, Perak.

"If these Indians (outside of MIC) claim that (MIC) leaders didn't do anything, then they should join MIC and change the community," he said.

Earlier, MIC president S Samy Vellu urged the delegates not to train their guns on former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

His call came after Ampang MIC delegate M Muniandy criticised Mahathir for his caustic remarks against Samy Vellu.

"We clapped and welcomed Mahathir whenever he attended MIC meetings. Our president also praised him. Yet now, he (Mahathir) accuses Samy Vellu of not doing anything.

"If we accept that Samy Vellu didn't do anything for the Indians, then what have you (Mahathir) done for the Indians in the 22 years (that he was premier)? Have you fulfilled all of our requests?" he asked.

'He's still a great statesman'

At this juncture, Samy Vellu interrupted the delegate and advised him against raising the subject.

"He is still a great statesman who led this nation," he defended Mahathir.

Fireworks between Mahathir and Samy Vellu erupted recently when the former was quoted in a Tamil daily as saying that the Indian community had voted for the opposition because they were angry with the MIC president.

He also accused Samy Vellu of being a despotic leader who never groomed a replacement or allowed others to grow in the party.

The MIC president then retaliated by calling Mahathir the master of 'destroying deputies'.

'Slap those who question us'

Criticising the intervention of external forces, a delegate from Johor said BN component parties must refrain from meddling in MIC's affairs.

"All of us are doing work on the ground and we have been campaigning more than MCA and Umno," said T Nadesan from Pasir Gudang.

"We are a big party but we still have to beg from Umno for allocations," he added.

Since the March 8 general election, speculations are rife that Umno is unhappy with Samy Vellu's continued presence at the helm of MIC.

During his opening speech at the MIC annual general assembly yesterday, Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak took a swipe at Samy Vellu when he said that leaders should be popular in their respective communities and not just their parties.

Observers saw this as an indirect call on delegates to cast their vote for S Subramaniam who was challenging the president's choice G Palanivel in a three-cornered fight for the number two post.

A day before the MIC elections, the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia ran a front-page report quoting political analysts stating that Samy Vellu should step down.

Despite this, Palanivel emerged victorious while the president's men almost made a clean sweep of all the other posts up for grabs.

Shah Alam delegate S Vickneswari praised Samy Vellu for his leadership, saying that Indians would still be tapping rubber trees in the estates if not for him.

"If our children question what MIC has done for the community, we should give them a tight slap and enlighten them," she said.

As for party members, she stressed: "If we question MIC, we are questioning ourselves."