CoFfEE witH PUNithAN

MIC vice president Datuk S. Sothinathan said he will not withdraw from contesting the deputy president's post at the party elections on Sept 12.

"I will contest the post as I have been campaigning since announcing the intention on May 30," he told Bernama when commenting the decision by MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu to back Datuk G. Palanivel in defending the No 2 post.

Samy also backed Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam (secretary-general) Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk M. Saravanan (information chief) and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk K. Devamany for the three vice-presidents post.

Sothinathan, 49, a former MIC secretary-general and Member of Parliament for Teluk Kemang said he was confident delegates would vote wisely adding every member has the right to contest.

Samy Vellu Endorses Palanivel To Defend MIC Deputy Presidency

PUTRAJAYA, July 15 (Bernama) -- MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said on Wednesday he has endorsed incumbent deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel to defend the party's No. 2 post at the MIC elections on Sept 12.

Speaking to Bernama in a telephone interview, Samy Vellu also said that he had endorsed Human Resource Minister and MIC secretary general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, Deputy Federal Territories Minister and MIC information chief Datuk M. Saravanan and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk S. K. Devamany for the three posts of vice-president.

The MIC elections on Sept 12 is for one post of deputy president, three posts of vice-president and 23 posts of Central Working Committee (CWC) member.



At the presidential election in March, Samy Vellu won the post of president, uncontested, for the 11th term.

Palanivel has announced that he would defend the No. 2 post at the party general assembly, which would be attended by 1,400 delegates.

Former deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam and incumbent vice-president Datuk S. Sothinathan have also announced their intention to contest the deputy presidency.

Many leaders have announced their intention to contest the posts of vice-president. Two of the incumbent vice-presidents are Sothinathan and Datuk S. Veerasingham. Tan Sri K.S. Nijhar quit as vice-president last year after a tiff with Samy Vellu but both leaders have patched up since.

"I want to announce that I am endorsing Datuk G. Palanivel for the No. 2 post because he is a very efficient, strong and simple man of the people. I hope members and delegates will throw their support behind him for continuity.

"I want a team which will deliver and strengthen the party and, as such, I am also endorsing Dr Subramaniam, Saravanan and Devamany for the three vice-president seats," Samy Vellu said.

On the three whom he had endorsed for the posts of vice-president, he said all three were holding government positions and, as such, were in a good position to better serve the Indian community.

Samy Vellu also said that he was drawing up a list of candidates for the 23 CWC posts and that he would endorse "several new faces".

"I will announce the complete list soon. I am announcing my line-up now to inform members and delegates that this is the team that will manage the MIC business more effectively and take the party closer to the community," he said.

Samy Vellu also said that he had taken care of the party over the last 29 years and had built it from just 120,000 members to 630,000 members and from 700 branches to 3,300 branches nationwide.

"All this was possible through constructive team effort which I established amongst my top office bearers.

"I feel that as a leader I have a responsibility to hand over the party to the right person. I have been giving it a lot of thought during the last two months as to how I want to conduct the elections and I have concluded that I will support the team which will support the MIC for a better future," he said.