Samy Vellu: The MIC president is not God!

Former MIC President Samy Vellu warns that MIC is destroying itself because of a “selfish leadership”.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former MIC President Samy Vellu conceded on Tuesday that he was very “afraid” and “worried” for the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) in the wake of in-fighting in the party by a “selfish leadership which only will destroy the party”.

Speaking to reporters after the launch of the Nepal Investment Summit 2015 at the Pullman Hotel, Bangsar, Samy Vellu said, “I was there (MIC) for almost 29 years. I respected everybody.”

“The way that things are going now, nobody cares for the party. They only care about themselves,” said Samy Vellu. “My request to the president (G. Palanivel) is, please save MIC.’”

Samy Vellu said that in order to save the party, everyone has to be heard, to reach a consensus for the right, legal way to move forward.

Referring to a recent statement by Palanivel, who declared a recent meeting by MIC Deputy President S. Subramaniam as illegal as it was not sanctioned by him (Palanivel), Samy Vellu chuckled, “I don’t think he understands what he’s doing.”

“As a head of a branch, he (Subramaniam) has the right to attend any meeting. He doesn’t need anybody’s approval.

“The President of MIC is not God, just a man.”

According to Samy Vellu, during his time as president, he faced a lot of disagreements within the party, and meetings as well as press conferences against him were common, but he made it a point to reach out and reconcile with his rivals to seek a common ground.

“That’s politics. It’s to show kindness and to pull them to our side,” he said.

Samy Vellu was also highly critical of the  “hunger strike” by recently appointed Secretary General, G. Kumar Amaan in front of the Registrar of Societies office in Putrajaya.

“He brought shame to MIC.”

He pledged that he would not interfere in MIC affairs and expressed the hope that the next generation of MIC would sort out their differences, “before it’s too late”.

“MIC has the trust of the Indian community, but MIC has not been justifying that trust from the community, with the recent events,” he lamented.