Samy Vellu, who was returned unopposed as president for another term, said he was confident that the delegates would give priority to the party rather than individuals when casting their votes.
"The party must be our priority. The Indian community is our priority. As such, we must ensure that stability is maintained in the MIC," he told Bernama ahead of the two-day 63rd MIC general assembly to be opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Putra World Trade Centre on Saturday.
He urged the 1,464 delegates to pick leaders who were "clean, trustworthy, responsible and hardworking with proven track records" to ensure that they could run the party "smoothly" with him.
The "Presidential Team 2009" comprises incumbent deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel, who is defending the post, and the threesome of Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk S.K. Devamany and Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk M. Saravanan, who are going for the three posts of vice-president.
Samy Vellu has also endorsed 27 of the 63 candidates battling for the 23 slots in the central working committee.
"This (Presidential Team) is not my team. It is their (delegates') team and there can only be one team in the MIC," said Samy Vellu, who regarded the team as part of the party's succession plan after his announced retirement in 2012.
"There must be understanding between the leaders and they must work as a team to rebuild the party. If the delegates make the wrong choice, it may destroy the prevailing unity within the party," he said.
Samy Vellu said the MIC must continue to be strengthened to serve the Indian community and face the next general election.
Party sources and observers expect Palanivel to have a 50- to 100-vote edge over his challengers, former deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam and vice-president Datuk S. Sothinathan.
Samy Vellu admitted a few days ago that the tussle for the deputy presidency would be tough but predicted that Palanivel would poll between 650 and 700 votes to win.
"Palani has the block votes. The remainder of the votes would be spread out between the other two candidates. I do not expect an upset in this race," he had said.
In the fight for the posts of vice-president, the closest challenge to Samy Vellu's men is expected to come from Datuk K.S. Balakrishnan of Johor and former vice-president Datuk V.K.K. Teagarajan of Kuala Lumpur.
The other two candidates are P. Subramaniam, the former MIC Selangor youth chief, and P. Mariayee of Negeri Sembilan.
The central committee battle would be a tough, with Samy Vellu himself expecting two outsiders to make it through.
"Many grassroots leaders have openly declared that they would follow the president's list for deputy president and vice presidents but not for the CWC. This is where they want to use their own wisdom and vote accordingly without being told who they should vote for," said an observer, who declined to be named.
-- BERNAMA
*******
The Star
MIC polls: Samy Vellu unhappy over Dr M move
KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has levelled another accusation at his former deputy Datuk S. Subramaniam, saying the challenger for the MIC deputy presidency had disgraced the party by seeking the endorsement of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He said Subramaniam’s move to seek the help of Dr Mahathir was a “desperate act”, claiming that this had incurred the wrath of many branch and division leaders.
“How cheap and desperate can a man be?” he asked, referring to a report in the Tamil daily Makkal Osai which quoted Dr Mahathir as saying that MIC delegates should vote for Subramaniam.
“It appears that Subramaniam has lost his support in the MIC and has to seek outside help to prop up his support among the delegates. He has lost whatever credibility that was left in him,” Samy Vellu said in a statement.
He said that he was both extremely angry and sad that Subramaniam had allowed an outsider to meddle in the party’s affairs, especially during a crucial election for the MIC.
The party supremo pointed out that when Dr Mahathir was in power, he had said that the Barisan Nasional could not interfere in the internal affairs of a component party.
“But now he interferes in our party matters,” he said.
He said the MIC was holding its elections through the democratic process to allow delegates to pick their leaders and “is not facing any problems for outsiders to get involved.”
“I urge MIC delegates to condemn the actions by Subramaniam and his supporters in getting an outsider involved in our party matters.
“If we allow this to happen, in future, outsiders will continue to interfere in our affairs and we will lose our dignity and respect,” Samy Vellu said.
****
MIC ELECTION RUNUP: RM500m suit adds spice to polls
T”S ON: Lawyer K. Saraswathy files the defamation suit against Vell Paari. With her is A. G. Thilagan, an associate of Thiagaraj
The 55-year-old philanthropist, also known as OMS Thiagarajan, has accused Vell Paari, son of MIC chief Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, of implicating him in the death of P. Selvarani, 29.
With two days to the party elections, many see this suit as another major action in the open and bitter battle between Samy Vellu and his arch rival Datuk S. Subramaniam.
Subramaniam, who is openly backed by Thiagarajan, is contesting the deputy presidency against Samy Vellu’s nominee, incumbent Datuk G. Palanivel.
And this is the second RM500 million suit filed by politicians in just over a week. Both suits involve the media as well.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat recently filed a staggering RM500 million suit against MP for Bintulu Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing for defaming him.
Ong, who is also MCA president, claimed that Tiong, the executive director of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, had issued a defamatory statement about giving him RM10 million, which was published in the Malaysiakini website.
Thiagarajan’s suit, filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry yesterday, states that the plaintiff filed action after Vell Paari failed to retract his allegations that were made in the Tamil Nesan.
Apart from Vell Paari, who is the managing director of Tamil Nesan Sdn Bhd, the two other defendants are Tamil Nesan Sdn Bhd, the owner and publisher of the Tamil Nesan daily, and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, K. Pathmanabhan.
Thiagarajan, who is also the Makkal Sakthi party adviser, is seeking aggravated and exemplary damages and an injunction to restrain Vell Paari or his agent from further making any defamatory statement against him on the issue.
He claimed that Vell Paari had written two “false” articles with bad intention in Tamil Nesan on Aug 2 and Aug 4 that portrayed him as a killer, liar, traitor to the community and a stooge of Subramaniam, among other things.
The accusations, he said, were aimed at damaging his name as a business and community leader and had put him in public scandal, odium and contempt.
The battle between both men was waged in the pages of the rival Tamil dailies — Samy Vellu’s Tamil Nesan and Subramaniam’s Makkal Osai.
Stories of political manipulation, sex, lies, betrayal of trust, and murder apparently caused the circulation of both dailies to increase dramatically.
There were stories about secret meetings at the PJ Hilton, the death of Selvarani who was a close friend of K. Sujatha, the woman romantically linked with Vell Paari, who died after drinking the weedkiller paraquat.
Selvarani died after falling from the 17th floor of her condominium on Jalan Klang Lama on June 24, 2007, a day before the death of model and actress Sujatha.
She was only 29 and was due to take up a posting with the United Nations the following week.
Police classified the case as “accidental fall”, but in his articles, Vell Paari speculated as to whether somebody could have pushed her.
Vell Paari alleged that Thiagarajan “cried” uncontrollably on hearing Selvarani had died and in the process dragged Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam into the controversy, alleging that the PKR MP had begged him to settle “some matters” he had with the police.
He also alleged that Thiagarajan had paid the wages of about RM5,000 a month for Selvarani, the lawyer who before her death was working at the legal firm owned by Hindraf founder P. Uthayakumar.
Thiagarajan alleged the articles meant that he had tried to shift the people’s attention from Selvarani’s death to Sujatha’s death that was played up in Makkal Osai.
Vell Paari also alleged that the Klang-based millionaire had secretly met him at the PJ Hilton and begged him to intervene with his father to “save” Subramaniam and “ditch” Palanivel.
Second defamation suit against Vell Paari
THE RM500 million suit is the second defamation suit in a month to be filed against Vell Paari, the son of Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.
MIC deputy presidential hopeful Datuk S. Subramaniam had on Aug 20 obtained an interim ex-parte injunction from the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to restrain Vell Paari and two others from further publishing defamatory
articles against him.
The inter-parte hearing is scheduled for today.
On Aug 13, Subramaniam filed a RM100,000 defamation suit against Vell Paari, who is the managing director
of Tamil Nesan Sdn Bhd, the owner and publisher of the Tamil Nesan daily, and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, K. Pathmanabhan.
In his statement of claim, Subramaniam said the defendants had falsely and maliciously written and published defamatory words against him in an article in the newspaper on Aug 4.
He said the article, among others, implied that he had acted against the interests of the MIC and Barisan Nasional in the 12th general election last year and that he had betrayed the party and the coalition.
THE MAIN PLAYERS
Who is Selvarani
• A lawyer who fell to her death from the 17th floor of a condominium on Jalan Klang Lama at 5am on June 24, 2007.
• She was found on the ground floor in her undergarments.
• Police classified the case as accidental fall.
• She died a day before the death of her good friend, model and actress K. Sujatha. She was due to take up a job with the United Nations.
• She worked for former ISA detainee and Hindraf founder P. Uthayakumar and fell to her death 15 days after quitting her job.
• Vell Paari is casting aspersions on OMS Thiagarajan over her death.
• “Did she fall accidentally or did someone throw her out from 17th floor?”, Vell Paari posed the question in an article.
• “An inquiry must be carried out to find out why and who are those behind the scene for her death”, he added.
• Vell Paari is married to popular Tamil singer Shaila Nair
• The inquest into Sujatha’s death is ongoing.
OMS Thiagarajan
• Financially supports numerous charities, Tamil schools and Tamil organisations.
• Has openly endorsed Datuk S Subramaniam for the MIC deputy presidency.
• Allegedly attacked by Vell Paari because he was openly using his money, influence and nationwide network to drum up support for Subramaniam.
• The architect in registering Makkal Sakhti Party at lightning speed, in less than a month.
• Makkal Sakthi party adviser and reportedly commands a good standing among the Indian community by running businesses and industries through the OMS group.
**********
MIC ELECTION RUNUP: Tide changing in the party
BOOKLET LAUNCH: S. Subramaniam displays his booklet titled “Change” after a Press conference in Kuala Lumpur. On his right is his supporter A Govindarajoo who is contesting a CWC post.
former deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam who is in a three-cornered fight for the party’s number two
post.
Many delegates who had quietly met and conveyed their support for Subramaniam over the weeks, yesterday openly displayed their support by attending his media conference at the Royal Selangor Club.
When asked after the Press conference if it was a sign that the tide was changing in his favour, the Samy Vellu nemesis said: “I hope all this will be reflected in the ballot box.
“I see the sentiments among the delegates changing after the disciplinary committee made a decision to
issue me a show-cause letter for corroborating Datuk V. Govindaraj’s confession that he rigged votes in the 1977 elections for the deputy presidency,” said Subramaniam.
Several supporters of Samy Vellu who were seen at the media conference were Gopal Krishnan of Pandan,
S.P. Manivasagam of Hulu Langat and a close relative of Samy Vellu, a delegate from Malacca, Basil Karrupiah.
Manivasagam, who is contesting a CWC post, told Malay Mail that he was “disillussioned” with the party
leadership for nominating individuals who curry favour with the people in power.
“I am not scared or ashamed to be aligned to Subramaniam for I feel it is time to see real changes in the leadership,” he said.
He added that most of the delegates and contestants for the CWC posts who were dropped from the official
line-up were ganging up to support Subramaniam.
“What is the use of supporting the leadership when we are not counted after having given so much to the
party in terms of time and effort?”
The Press conference was called by Subramaniam in response to Samy Vellu’s announcement that the disciplinary committee would take action against him after the elections over his statements regarding vote rigging confessed to by MIC strongman Govindaraj.
Meanwhile, a group from the Indian community also expressed its open support for Subramaniam.
A representative of the group, led by businessman Datuk Vyran T. Raj, claimed that so far 765 delegates
had stated their support for Subramaniam.
The group called on Samy Vellu to resign from the post of MIC president before Sept 30.
“We feel there is a need to change the MIC leadership by replacing the leader. It’s true that he (Samy Vellu)
had contributed much (to the community), but times have changed,” he said.
It is sabotage, claims Subra
DATUK S. Subramaniam attacked his nemesis and MIC party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu for sabotaging his chances of winning the deputy presidency.
“This is a planned tactic and the announcement by the president bespeaks of intimidation directed at delegates
not to vote for me,” Subramanaiam told a packed Press conference at the Royal Selangor Club.
“How do you expect the delegates to react when he says that the disciplinary committee would take action
against me after the elections?” he asked, adding that Samy Vellu was sending a message to the delegates not to vote for him.
Reading further into the announcement, Subramaniam said the “open ended” statement was bound to create “confusion” among delegates.
Subra was responding to the MIC Central Working Committee decision on Tuesday to refer him to the
party’s disciplinary committee in relation to his statement in the Malay Mail about the party’s election held in 1977.
Samy Vellu, who is backing Datuk G. Palanivel against Subramaniam for the deputy presidency in the party elections on Sept 12, said that any further action by the disciplinary committee would only be after the elections.
Announcing this after chairing the CWC at the party headquarters in Jalan Ipoh, Samy Vellu said that Subramaniam’s statement, along with the statement made by former MIC strongman Datuk V. Govindaraj,
was aimed at “destroying the credibility of MIC’s elections” conducted all these years.
“How timely to make such an announcement when the elections is around the corner and I am a contestant in the elections. The motive is very clear. It is to intimidate delegates,” Subramaniam said while calling on the delegates to throw caution to the wind and stand up for the sake of the party and the Indian community and vote him in.
“Don’t be intimidated. I appeal to you this one time for the sake of the party and unity of the Indian community
not to be swayed by anything and vote for change.”
He said he would write to the party elections committee to put his frustrations across as it was not ethical to issue such a statement when it knows what it would do to his chances of winning.
“It is a clear attempt at undermining my chances of winning and I hope the elections committee would put
things right,” he said, while calling on the delegates not to be swayed by intimidating tactics or ponder over
how he would work with the president if he won the deputy post.
“I have no problem working with anybody in the party. It is the president who has to answer not me.”
Subramaniam also clarified a perception that he was too soft and and did not dare challenge Samy Vellu.
“People have called me a loser and a non-fighter for not taking on the president on many occasions. I tell
you I am not gutless nor a coward. On those occasions I was hesitant because the party was weak. I feared it
would further weaken the party. But now the party is being weakened by the leadership and I want to bring a
change.”
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