But the newly-installed president also issued a stern warning to the former members that his willingness to accommodate them did not mean he was a weak leader or a pushover.
“Let me be very clear — I am a different type of leader. I am very strict, very stern but also very humble, polite, amenable and I have a lot of humility. I am not weak and I speak my mind.
“I just do not want enemies. I want to be everybody’s friend,” he told The Malaysian Insider in an exclusive interview here.
The deputy minister said that he wanted to engage with all former MIC members that his party leadership had expelled in the past and encouraged them to return as MIC supporters.
He added that he was willing to listen to their grouses and accommodate their needs but also reminded them to stop blaming the party for their sackings.
“They can talk to us but whatever it is, discipline is a very important aspect in every party. Every party has its laws and rules on discipline so if people break that and action is taken against them, they should not blame us.
“But we are willing to forgive them and we are ready to accommodate them,” he said.
As such, Palanivel called on those sacked by his predecessor, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, as well as his own personal enemies within the party to return to MIC’s fold and close ranks.
“I just hope that all these expelled members and those who were not friendly with me, those who opposed me, will now not only be my friend, but also friends of the MIC.
“We want them to be friends and supporters of MIC and BN and then, we will look at ways and means of how we can accommodate them,” he offered.
The former four-term MP for Hulu Selangor, however, indicated that his willingness to engage with the leaders did not mean he was showing disrespect to Samy Vellu, who had helmed MIC for over three decades.
“I am a very different leader,” he reiterated.
Samy Vellu, who stepped down earlier this month and handed the party reins to Palanivel, came under fire last year when he wielded his presidential powers to summarily expel several leaders who questioned his leadership.
The final months of the powerful leader’s tenure were plagued by dissenters within the party, many of whom blamed him for MIC’s poor performance in the 2008 general election.
During Election 2008, MIC suffered in the political tsunami that swept the nation and only retained three of the nine parliamentary seats it contested.
Samy Vellu suffered his first defeat in decades when he failed in his bid to retain his “kingdom” in Sungai Siput to PSM’s Dr M. Jeyakumar who had contested on a PKR ticket.
Palanivel had also failed to prevail in Hulu Selangor but the seat was later retaken by MIC’s information chief P. Kamalanathan, who beat former PKR leader Datuk Zaid Ibrahim in a by-election last April.
Despite this, unhappy MIC members rallied against Samy Vellu and attempted to push the leader towards an early retirement.
Their move resulted in the sackings of former deputy youth chief V. Mugilan and former MIC Central Working Committee members, G. Kumar Aaman and KP Samy.
Former MIC secretary-general S. Murugessan was also removed from his post when he publicly disagreed with the sackings. He was, however, retained in the CWC.
Mugilan, Kumar Aamaan, Samy and another expelled leader, Petaling Jaya MIC veteran V. Subramaniam or “Bharat Maniam”, later formed Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu, popularly known as “GAS”.
The group staged two rallies to pressure Samy Vellu into early retirement.
On Wednesday, Mugilan told The Malaysian Insider that Palanivel should invite all sacked members back to MIC.
He also claimed that during his three-decade tenure, Samy Vellu had removed — both directly and indirectly — some 100,000 MIC members.
“It is important that Palanivel, as a new president, take the bull by its horns and open MIC’s doors to all.
“Do not sideline anyone and always remember that we are all still party members in our heart,” he said when contacted. - Malaysian Insider
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