S Retnanathan and G Vinod - Free Malaysia TodayKUALA LUMPUR: Long-serving MIC president S Samy Vellu for the first time today gave a clear hint that he may vacate the post, which he had held for the last 30 years, paying tribute to all those who have helped him “throughout my journey”.
Speaking in front of some 2,000 MIC divisional delegates and MIC members at the opening of the party’s 64th annual general assembly here, the MIC supremo also thanked those who had stood by him and had given undivided moral support throughout his 30-year journey.
“I am grateful to the many people who have assisted me throughout my journey... leaders and ordinary citizens who have worked for me, supported me or wished me well. I am profoundly grateful for the support of so many Malaysians who somehow know that I care for them.
“I am grateful to those who have stood by me in the party and rendered undivided moral support,” he said in the presence of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who opened the general assembly.
Since the dramatic 2008 general election, the MIC chief had been under tremendous pressure to quit the post he had held since 1979. Samy Vellu initially resisted the call to step aside but later announced that he would leave active politics in September next year.
If the general assembly speech today was anything to go by, then indications are on the wall that the MIC chief could hand over the party reins sooner than September 2011.
Unlike the previous general assemblies, the MIC chief’s speech this time around was peppered with points defending himself over his actions in the last 30 years, pointing out that he had devoted his life and exuberance to the Malaysian Indian community, MIC and the government.
'We won't rest on our laurels'
Saying that 30 years ago the party was in total disarray, he explained that the era of his leadership was tough,
testing and challenging as “there were social and structural changes taking place in the community and problems in education, the economy, employment and religion” over the years.
“There were many instances when my decisions were disliked, but I believe that as a leader I had done what was right for the people. I had to do the right thing and, at the same time, get things right for the community,” he said.
Samy Vellu was also confident that the Indian community, which deserted the party and the BN at the 2008 general election, was returning with almost 50% of the lost Indian votes coming back to the Barisan Nasional fold based on the Bagan Pinang and Hulu Selangor by-elections.
“We will not rest on our laurels until we launch the next level of assult in order to regain the remaining members of the community before the next general election.”
On the fragmented Malaysian Indian community, the MIC chief said “many of us are guilty of splitting the Indian community into various small, insignificant groups that claim to champion their narrow causes”.
“In one corner, we have non-governmental organisations championing education; in the other corner, we have Indian groups that claim to represent the voices of the underprivileged. Then there are groups which were formed solely to gain political support but these groups will not be able to sustain their presence as they do not have a clear road map for the community.
“As much as many 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 and vibrant and is the one and only voice of the Indian community,”said the MIC chief.
He also invited all Indian-based political parties in the country to close ranks and work closely with the MIC for the betterment of the 1.8 million Indians in the country.
“No matter how distinct our opinions are, let us put aside our differences and let's harness our uniting factors such as the future of our children as well as the community’s well being. Let’s also unite to work together for a better future for all,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment