KLANG, Sept 11 (Bernama) -- Former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam has denied he is banking on external influence to canvass for votes in his bid to recapture the deputy presidency in the party elections on Saturday.
He said it was beyond his control should any political party leader outside the MIC make favourable statements about him.
"He (MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu) gets upset whenever somebody praises me ... everyone has the right to speak," Subramaniam told reporters after attending a gathering with about 900 members and delegates of the Klang MIC Divison near here on Thursday night.
An online news portal yesterday carried an article published on the front page of a local Tamil daily which had quoted former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as praising Subramaniam, among other things.
In a statement later published on the portal, Samy Vellu was reported as saying that Subramaniam had lost whatever credibility that was left in him by seeking the help of people outside the MIC.
"Subramaniam is so desperate that he has to seek the mandate from Mahathir to win in the party elections. He has brought shame to the MIC members and the party," he was quoted as saying.
Subramaniam said Dr Mahathir spoke his mind without fear or favour and the paper just published what he had said.
"I had nothing to do with it. I am grateful to him (Dr Mahathir) because he had said something nice about me," he said.
Subramaniam is challenging incumbent deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel for the post of deputy president. Another candidate for the post is vice-president Datuk S. Sothinathan.
A political analyst from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, told Bernama that the chances were there for Subramaniam to get sympathy votes in the party elections following the decision of the MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) to refer Subramaniam to the disciplinary committee.
Samy Vellu had said the disciplinary action against Subramaniam and legal action against former vice-president Datuk V. Govindaraj were for making a media statement that he (Samy Vellu) defeated Subramaniam in the election for the MIC deputy presidency in 1977 by using dirty tactics.
He said it was beyond his control should any political party leader outside the MIC make favourable statements about him.
"He (MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu) gets upset whenever somebody praises me ... everyone has the right to speak," Subramaniam told reporters after attending a gathering with about 900 members and delegates of the Klang MIC Divison near here on Thursday night.
An online news portal yesterday carried an article published on the front page of a local Tamil daily which had quoted former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as praising Subramaniam, among other things.
In a statement later published on the portal, Samy Vellu was reported as saying that Subramaniam had lost whatever credibility that was left in him by seeking the help of people outside the MIC.
"Subramaniam is so desperate that he has to seek the mandate from Mahathir to win in the party elections. He has brought shame to the MIC members and the party," he was quoted as saying.
Subramaniam said Dr Mahathir spoke his mind without fear or favour and the paper just published what he had said.
"I had nothing to do with it. I am grateful to him (Dr Mahathir) because he had said something nice about me," he said.
Subramaniam is challenging incumbent deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel for the post of deputy president. Another candidate for the post is vice-president Datuk S. Sothinathan.
A political analyst from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, told Bernama that the chances were there for Subramaniam to get sympathy votes in the party elections following the decision of the MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) to refer Subramaniam to the disciplinary committee.
Samy Vellu had said the disciplinary action against Subramaniam and legal action against former vice-president Datuk V. Govindaraj were for making a media statement that he (Samy Vellu) defeated Subramaniam in the election for the MIC deputy presidency in 1977 by using dirty tactics.
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