Is MIC admitting it is dependent on Umno?

What kind of impression is S Vell Paari giving to all Malaysians about the party that he represents when he says there is nothing wrong with MIC receiving funds from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak?

The MIC treasurer-general claimed that “all component parties receive money from BN – that is politics.”

Such statements should not have been made by Vell Paari as it has a lot of hidden meanings behind it. There are several issues that I can think of.

Lack of independence

The MIC is supposed to represent the Indian community in Malaysia. It should remain both politically and financially independent, and have the political will to reject any amount of money given by the president of another party, whether in BN or Pakatan Harapan.

Should a dispute arise with Umno, MIC would not be able to effectively represent the Indian community. I would like to ask Vell Paari: Where is MIC’s moral independence then?

The feudalistic culture that Umno practices by giving money to its fellow partners in the coalition is unhealthy, and such practices should stop.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Paul Low was tasked with drafting guidelines on political funding. I wonder what he is supposed to do when money is flowing from the Umno president to MIC. Why the dead silence from Low?

No wonder Malaysian Indians have given up on MIC in the past 10 years or so, when you have leaders who do not believe in political independence. Vell Paari should realise MIC’s precarious position, especially when his own father and former Works Minister S Samy Vellu lost in his own constituency.

MACC should investigate

Going by what Vell Paari said, it appears to me that MIC did receive funds from the prime minister.

This raises a lot of questions about the integrity of the prime minister. Was the amount of money indicated by whistleblowers accurate, or was there more money that had exchanged hands?

How did Najib have so much money to give away to other political parties? Where did the money come from? Why did he give the money to his partners in BN?

How long has this been happening? How much money has been changing hands? Whose money is it? Why did Najib have to give that amount of money to MIC and other political parties?

When the money was transferred from Najib’s account (assuming that was the case) to another political party, did Bank Negara close one eye to it, and if so, why?

Why the double standards? If I were to make a payment of RM100,000 to a friend, I would receive a phone call from the bank almost immediately as the bank is obliged to report the matter to Bank Negara.

Did the money come from some form of corruption? Or, is it true that the money came from 1MDB as alleged by the US Department of Justice (DOJ)? If yes, why is the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) not carrying out an investigation, now that a new piece of evidence has emerged?

Besides the MACC, the police should also be carrying out its own investigation on the money allegedly given to the MIC and other political parties and political figures.

We cannot continue with a double standards exercised by the authorities.

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STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.- Mkini