KUALA LUMPUR: Retired MIC president S Samy Vellu will lead the party's educational wing Maju Institute of Educational Development and MIC's "jewel in the crown" the Asian Institute Of Medicine, Science and Technology (Aimst).
The combined worth of these two educational organisations, which was initiated by Samy Vellu during his 31-year tenure as president, was more than RM700 million and had been under constant attack from critics for mismanagement of funds.
Sources revealed that Samy Vellu, who relinquished the top post on Monday, had only resigned from party position but not as the chairman of MIED or from the Aimst board of directors.
It had been the norm in the party for the president to hold the positions as these initiatives were done through government grants and public donations given through MIC.
"He still maintains those two positions. The education wing of the party would come under him from now on. In fact, his office which was on the sixth-floor of the MIC headquarters is now moved to the first floor, where the MIED office is located," said the sources.
"The new office has been renovated and refurbished. He is expected to work only on the education part... so now all MIED and Aimst matters will be handled, not by party leaders, but by Samy Vellu."
Samy Vellu was behind the establishment of these two entities apart from the Tafe College in Seremban and Kuala Lumpur. Since he took over MIC as acting president in 1979, he had placed education as top priority and the two organisations were fruits of his labour.
Positions allow Samy Vellu to touch base
Sources said by holding the two positions, the former MIC chief would be able to touch base with the Malaysian Indian community as MIED provided grants to needy students of the community, while Aimst ensured a seat for higher studies.
"We may see more crowd at the first floor (where the MIED office is located at the MIC headquarters) than the sixth floor (the president's office). But I do not think (president G) Palanivel will mind this at all."
"This will also ensure that he (Samy Vellu) keeps check on party activities. You cannot ask a man who has been president for over 30-years to just forget everything and stay home. He loves this party and what a better way to utilise him than to give him the positions.”
Sources said while his critics had accused the 74-year-old leader of mismanagement in handling MIED and Aimst, the fact remained that it was he who instilled the need for the community, which was relying on employment in rubber estates and other odd jobs in the early 1970s, to be educated.
“They cannot deny that it was Samy Vellu who fought for more seats for Indian students in professional courses such as law and medicine in government funded tertiary institutions.”
Sources further claimed that Palanivel also preferred MIED and Aimst being run by Samy Vellu.
"He wants the education arm run separately from party matters, especially politics. Palanivel has always maintained that MIC should not be a social organisation but a political voice of Malaysian Indians and he may have just found a solution," they said.
They also argued that while monies involved in administering the two educational organisations ran into millions, the party president and its leaders, who sit in the board of directors, ultimately control the funding.
"With this, talk of Samy Vellu siphoning cash is out of the question. It is a collective decision. It cannot be done by one man alone."
Paari expected to be made MIC info chief
In a related development, Samy Vellu's son Vel Paari was expected to be appointed party information chief in the near future.
He would replace Hulu Selangor MP P Kamalanathan, whose hands were full as a newly elected parliamentarian and MIC Putera coordinator.
Sources said the announcement was supposed to have been made by Samy Vellu at the MIC central working committee (CWC) meeting on Monday, but he had rejected the idea, preferring to let Palanivel do it.
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