'Ambassador' Samy to quit end of the month

Long-serving MIC president S Samy Vellu would quit the top post end of this month and not in January next year as announced earlier.

Party sources revealed that the 74-year-old veteran leader has informed those close to him that he would vacate the number one seat end of November to enable him to take up the ambassador-at-large position offered by the government.

The MIC supremo has called for an MIC central working committee meeting at the party headquarters on Nov 18 to announce this.

"He (Samy Vellu) has received his appointment letter from the government. He must vacate the party post as the new appointment takes effect starting Dec 1. Tomorrow we expect him to announce the early departure date.

"He has also chosen his staff for his new position, which will be with ministerial status. He will be active in lobbying for infrastructure projects in the Asia, especially India and China. The government is making full use of his long experience in obtaining these sorts of projects.

"There is a feeling that he will be an asset in this area. He is expected to kickstart efforts by Malaysian infrastructure companies to break through the Asian markets. Our specialisation is construction of roads, airports and that sort of thing and this is where the government feels he will be useful," a source said.

However, there seems to be a confusion on the new appointment.

At present, the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), under the Works Minister, was entrusted to source for overseas projects and Samy Vellu's appointment would be overlapping the duties of CIDB.

"We do not know how he will fit in. For now, we see an overlapping of duties but I am sure the government and the ministry would give him a free hand to source for projects. This is just a minor glitch," said the source.

Longest-serving president

Samy Vellu became party acting president following the demise of V Manickavasagam in 1979 and was elected president two years later.

He had been under massive pressure to vacate the MIC top post since the March 2008 general election, where the ruling Barisan Nasional lost its two-third majority in Parliament.

MIC too suffered a massive blow at the polls, losing six out of the nine parliamentary seats it contested under the BN banner.

Samy Vellu was also a casualty in the election losing the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat, which he had held for more than 20 years.

Samy Vellu holds the distinction of being the longest-serving MIC president, holding on to the post for a record 11 consecutive terms.

He served as the works minister and was the longest-serving minister in the Cabinet until he lost the Sungai Siput seat in 2008.

He was first appointed to the Cabinet in 1979 as housing and local government minister. He was then appointed works minister. From 1989 to 1995, he became the energy, telecommunication and post minister. He returned to the works ministry in 1995.

He had earlier announced that he would vacate the MIC top post in January next year.

MIC deputy president senator G Palanivel had been named successor to the post. Palanivel would serve as acting president until March 2012, when MIC is scheduled to hold its presidential election. - FMT