Samy: Reach out to Najib, he listens

Former MIC strongman comes to the defence of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

PETALING JAYA: Former Cabinet Minister and MIC President S. Samy Vellu on Monday waded into the simmering feud between Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad with the benefit of hindsight. “Najib will listen if you reach out to him.”

“I can pick up my phone now and tell him, ‘Sir, can I see you at six,’ and he will say, ‘come.’ Najib is a man who will stand and talk to you. Because he has a heart which feels for poor people,” said Samy who is currently Special Envoy to India and South Asia. Samy, who holds a position equivalent to a senior Minister, is attached to the Prime Minister’s Department.

“If he (Mahathir) has anything (differences), he should go talk to him (Najib) face to face, and not attack one another,” he added. “This (the attacks) is not only going to weaken the Barisan Nasional, it will also weaken Umno, MCA, MIC and everyone.”

He was speaking on the sidelines of launching the Nepal Earthquake Relief Mission for Nepal in the wake of a devastating earthquake which hit parts of the Indian subcontinent and Tibet.

He conceded that Najib was not perfect but mistakes made, he ventured, can be forgiven. “So, everyone should look towards putting things in proper order.”

“Everyone has different methods of implementing policies.”

Elsewhere, he cautioned that BN would not have a chance in the upcoming Permatang Pauh and Rompin by-elections if party leaders, members and workers don’t go out and counter what the Opposition is saying. “Don’t simply stay inside the house and say we will win. Nobody wins without going out, to see the scenario on the ground, to counter what the Opposition is doing,” he said.

Samy earlier received dry foods and blankets from various donors for Nepal. They include Hot Media Sdn Bhd, Team Force Security Sdn Bhd and the All Malaysia Malayalee Association.