Kayveas: Is Palani powerless or just ignorant?

The PPP chief, while telling MIC to stay out of their spat with Nanban, questions the party chief's credibility in standing up for the Indian community.

PETALING JAYA: People’s Progressive Party (PPP) president, M Kayveas, condemned MIC’s support of Malaysia Nanban over its humiliating statements against the Indian community.

The Tamil daily, in an article on Feb 20, opined that the Indian community could be won over with “free food and tasty mutton”, and that PPP was prone to doing that to rake in votes.

The article questioned if such a move by PPP, which is a Barisan Nasional component party, would favour the ruling coalition in attracting the Indian community’s votes.

Angered by the article, party members and Kayveas were reported to have ambushed the daily’s headquarters in Jalan Ipoh, seeking clarification.

Kayveas, in denying the news reports, said: “First of all, we didn’t ‘ambush’ the daily. We were in fact invited to the Nanban office by the director Ahmad Mydin Sikandar Batcha.

“He wanted to show us proof that what was written was indeed true. They promised a public apology the next day but instead now claim that we had ambushed them.”

‘Why should I apologise?’

Kayveas also said that a number of MIC men were present, claiming to be “security” personnel when he and other PPP members visited the Nanban office.

“Why does MIC need to send ‘security’ [personnel] for Nanban? They have nothing to do with this. Police officers were already deployed and they helped settle the issue before we left,” he said.

Kayveas also said that MIC Youth chief T Mohan and strategy director S Vell Paari have told him to apologise to Nanban for his actions.

“Why should I apologise to them? What did we do to harm them? Why are they not standing up for the Indian community? What is their motive really?” he asked.

When asked if he had contacted the MIC president G Palanivel with regard to this issue, he said: “I only received a reply from Palanivel saying ‘you are free to do your part’.”

“This clearly means that he isn’t going to do anything about this. Is he powerless or is he just being plain ignorant?” he said.

Kayveas assured that PPP will continue to fight for Indians and suggested that it was best for MIC to stay out of this matter as “I know how to handle this issue amicably”.

- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/27/kayveas-is-palani-powerless-or-just-ignorant/#sthash.I8XYWzdF.dpuf