The Human Rights Party (HRP) has warned that it will torch a 1Malaysia logo if the government does not respond to its demand to help the Indian students who scored top marks in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination.
PM to solve woes says Dr Subra
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will resolve the controversy over the awarding of the Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship, especially the overseas programme, and the entry into matriculation programme in local universities, said MIC vice-president Dr S Subramaniam today.
The human resources minister said he raised the two issues at the weekly cabinet meeting here today, and the prime minister agreed to look into them personally.
“The prime minister has given an undertaking to resolve the matter,” he said in a statement here.
It was reported that many SPM leavers with excellent grades have complained that their applications to do the matriculation programme and to secure the PSD scholarship were rejected.
Many of them have since appealed against the decision.
Many parents of the affected students also took up the matter to the relevant government departments and to the various political parties, including MIC.
Subramaniam said he decided to bring up the two issues at the Cabinet meeting again today to find an amicable solution.
Confident of an amicable solution
The minister said he also spoke to the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on the matriculation issue where many Indian students with good grades had their applications rejected.
He said a series of discussions was also held with the Education Ministry’s secretary-general on the intake of students to do matriculation courses.
“On the PSD scholarship, I have already held several meetings with the PSD and several more round of discussions will be held in the next few days or so,” he said.
Subramaniam expressed confidence that the issues could be resolved through negotiations with the government.
“While I agree that there appears to be unhappiness and a sense of mistreatment amongst the affected students and their parents, it has to be understood that the entire process is not over yet.
“The government is still in the process of considering appeals from the students. Besides, the results for the PSD scholarship for local universities have also yet to be announced,” he said.
Subramaniam said the process to resolve the issues was being undertaken in stages: “I am confident that an amicable solution could be negotiated with the government.”
“The government is aware of the situation and is taking every step to resolve these issues. And rest assured that MIC is making every attempt to find an amicable solution to the two issues. We are closely monitoring these issues to ensure fairness to the eligible students,” he added.
It is believed that the government was responding to the recent case of Indian high achievers not being able to secure scholarships or places in tertiary institutions.
The Human Rights Party, which highlighted the issue, has threatened to organise a protest and torch the 1Malaysia logo if the government does not resolve the matter.
My expression :
Year after year, we read that many top scorers failed to receive the PSD scholarships from the Malaysian Government. So its been a annual affair......
And of course , some kind of temporary solutions / alternatives given annually... Now we have a new PM with 1MALAYSIA concept....... 1 minister , and 5 dept ministers...... the most government reps (malaysian indians) in history i suppose...
So..... will the government deliver some real good news, at least now.....
Last year’s controversy over the Universiti Malaya Indian Studies Department’s (ISD) non-Indian head is expected to be resolved soon.
The university’s deputy vice-chancellor, Hamzah Abdul Rahman (right) confirmed that a new head for the ISD would be appointed by June this year.
“Presently we have received 35 applications for the position. A total of 11 Indians have been shortlisted based on merit,” Hamzah said.
The ISD was in the spotlight last year following a decision to appoint a Malay lecturer as the department’s head on the basisthat there were too much internal politicking.
The decision did not go down well with Indian NGOs and the MIC who called for intervention into the department’s administrative affairs.
Following that, vice-chancellor Ghauth Jasmon said that the staff was given three months to resolve internal issues within.
MIC Youth, led by its secretary-general C Sivarajah, sent a memorandum to the vice-chancellor’s office calling for an Indian to be appointed.
They have recommended former department head K Thilagavathy to lead the ISD.
Asked what would happen if the gathering fails to get Samy Vellu to stop down early, Mugilan said: “We will tell the media that Samy Vellu is the best leader. We will keep quiet and surrender.”
*No MIC Chairman's or CWC members ( the orgs claimed 300 branch leaders will attend + many CWC members. *"known cases of" anti-samy like Dato subra, Ex-Youth chief Vicky, Dato muthupalaniappan and many more not seen anywhere around.
Malaysiakini : GAS starts with the singing of Negaraku and the MIC party song. Many in the crowd do not know the song, suggesting they are not MIC members
A "Big Job" for our Suruhanjaya Pencegah Rasuah ... If its true. I wonder if this guy can be arrested for hands in crime? If its not . he too can be charged for defamation....
Barath Maniam takes the podium. He claims that Samy Vellu had sought his help in 1992 when police and ACA raided his office to investigate allegations of corruption involving 10 million Telekom shares allocated to MIC. He claims MIC received only one million shares.
He also shows a copy of a document signed by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad affirming that MIED was set up for the Indian community. He says he has the original document.
My view :
DSSV said it loud and clear - " i will leave eight or nine months before my term expires in May 2012. I will hand over the leadership to the NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS THEN"
So let him finish his job. The trust and mandate given to him by the members
The party is experiencing turbulence. Is it because the captain is leaving or overstayed? whatever it is GAS kind of politicking not gonna do us any good.
The re branding of MIC just began.... change in the leadership is only the start....
MIC president S Samy Vellu today explained to the party's central working committee (CWC) on the issue surrounding the legality and ownership of the Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED) and AIMST University.
"I gave them a full briefing on the formation, management and the inseparable relationship between the two entities and MIC," he said in a statement after chairing the three-hour CWC meeting at the MIC headquarters here.
He told the CWC members that although the MIED and AIMST University in Semeling, Kedah are separate entities of the MIC, no individuals or MIC leaders owned the two entities.
"The ownership between MIC and MIED will be a perpetual relationship and will be part of the MIC," he said.
Samy Vellu said the MIED trustees and board members were made up of MIC office-bearers, thus cementing the link between the MIED and MIC.
"The MIC through the MIED will work closely towards achieving the educational objective and vision of the party in its capacity as an educational arm of the party," he said.
He said the CWC members agreed that MIED and AIMST University are separate entities with the MIED formed as a company limited by guarantee.
Controversial remark in September
He also urged all MIC members to regard the two institutions as their own organizations which are managed by their appointees.
"None of the MIED trustees are owners of the university and as such the question of hijacking the MIED and AIMST University does not arise," he said.
Samy Vellu said the MIED had done very well to help the MIC in looking after the educational interests of the Indian community.
It has already produced 7,000 students while another 7,000 students are continuing their studies, he added.
Samy Vellu's clarification on MIED and AIMST today came in the wake of questions posed by several party leaders, including former deputy president S Subramaniam, over the status of the two institutions.
Their concerns were raised following Samy Vellu's remarks in September that he would be resigning soon and would be spending his time at these two NGOs, which he had claimed to be separate entities from MIC.
In an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini, deputy presidential hopeful S Sothinathan defends himself against accusations of caste and money politics.
What happened between you and MIC president S Samy Vellu?
Actually there is no friction between us. What happened is that I understand the present change in the political scenario in the country after the March 8 elections. I think there is a need for a young and vibrant leadership in MIC. I think we need to embrace this change if we want to remain relevant to the community. On that basis, I told him (Samy Vellu) that I wanted to go for deputy presidency... and there was total agreement all this while. But in May, I didn't know there was a change in (his) mind... they wanted to remain neutral and remain as what they were (maintain status quo for deputy presidency)... which I feel would not help us anymore.
So I stood firm in my decision to go for number two... because a much more dynamic leadership has to be established for MIC to remain relevant. On that basis, I stood by what I felt was right. I think that is the correct thing to do at this moment. Because of that, they might not be very happy with my decision. But I am not really interested in that. Because I am more interested in staying relevant to the community, the party must be relevant, the leadership must be relevant. If that change cannot be brought about, I don't know where we are heading towards.
For a long time, it was said that you would be the appointed successor and the president was giving the same impression. Now that the situation has changed, do you feel betrayed?
I don't feel betrayed because in politics you must be brave enough to face anything. In politics, if you are fearful or very dependent on something, you will never succeed and you can never lead a community. We are talking about leading a community. When you are leading a community, when something unfavourable comes, you must accept it. It does not mean you must be dejected, you must move ahead with bravery and determination. In my case, I am not dejected because I take this as a greater challenge, and if I make it in this challenge, this is what is going to give me the real strength in politics.
You have always been seen as Samy Vellu's man. Do you believe you can stand on your own feet?
I am very determined and I feel very strongly about it. As I told you earlier, this is what is going to decide the future. If I can get the mandate, this is what will give me the real strength to lead the community and the party in future.
On the president's recent attack against you, that you are nothing without him, and that you speak with a forked tongue.
I don't practice this kind of politics. It has never been my style of leadership at all. Because I just speak what I feel is right. I don't speak one thing here and another thing there. That is not my way of campaigning. All the delegates (that) I have met will vouch for this. I have been very open to say what is my reason (for contesting)... it is purely to say what I can do for the party if they elect me. I don't smear anybody's campaign.
Why is he doing this then? His attacks have always been towards S Subramaniam, now suddenly he is focusing on you.
Only he will know why he is doing that. I remain focused on what I am doing because I am not going to be disturbed or distracted by what others are doing.
Do you feel hurt by his attacks?
In politics, you got to face all these things. You can't be too sentimental about it. You have got to be practical about things.
How are your proposed reforms different from that of your rivals? Even Samy Vellu is talking about change.
My question is very simple. They have all been there in this position. What change have they brought? I am asking them (the delegates) to give me a chance (to change things). When you talk about change, for 25 years they have been there as deputies, they couldn't bring this change. Give me the opportunity to bring about the change. When someone who has been there for such a long time, I mean at this particular stage in life, to talk about change, I really don't understand what (that) change is all about.
Change means, change for the better. If there is a transition, if someone comes to take up the leadership, they should have the age with them. Not someone who is about to retire, comes into politics, and says 'I want to lead this community'. A man's most productive period is in the range of 45 to 60... and that is what I say, let us believe in that. Let us believe in a man's productive period... and not those who have gone past those times, and come back to say 'I want to bring about change'. You must have the physical strength and mental strength to lead a community, not just the wish to do it, but also the stamina.
So you are saying that your rivals have 'missed the boat' to bring about change
See... Samy Vellu became president of MIC at the age of 44. You can see the kind of changes that he brought into the party. The kind of enthusiasm...it was really great. Look at (Barack) Obama at the age of 47. I mean for being a black, everyone thought he would not do well but he is doing a fantastic job. Because they have the courage and determination and also the physical and mental strength to carry out what they feel, to carry out their vision. This is what is necessary.
How do you rate your chances, going against two heavyweights?
We are talking about a new leadership. To remain relevant, the society looks for young leadership. Given my advantage in those areas and given my experience, I am sure these will be advantageous for me. They (his rivals) have been in that position (deputy president) and people can see what they have done, and at the same time, I have been in the low position (vice-president), people can see what I have done. And they know my style of leadership, and the leaders on the ground can access what will be good for the party and community.
So you are saying that the delegates are mature enough to vote for change?
There are many things going on. There is a lot of intimidation, there are a lot of money politics, which I hear. Although I don't practise that, I do hear (about it). I am talking about change. I don't want to subscribe to all these. When I talk about change, I am talking about some new ways... people must genuinely support, then only we can lead this community. If there is no genuine support, then I think we are wasting our time.
Can you elaborate on the intimidation of delegates?
Sometimes when you go and see the delegates, they are threatened not to see us. A lot of things... when they express support, they come under intense pressure. All this is not good for the present generation, it will not look good in the eyes of the community.
On the issue of caste politics, you have been accused of campaigning along those lines?
Throughout the 49 years of my life, I have never been brought up in that manner. My family has never taught me all those things. I myself am not sure who belongs to which caste. I have never practised caste politics in my life. I do not know who belongs to which caste, unless they explain to me. I have never done that. Although many people who claim that (accuse him), are the ones who practise it, but they put the blame on others who are innocent. The public is the best to decide, the public knows who preaches caste and who preaches money politics.
I mean, one can go and say 'I don't do this, somebody else does this' but at the end of the day, each and every single individual in MIC and also the public knows as a matter of fact who preaches all these things.
Are you saying the president also does this?
Let the people decide, they are all informed about what is happening. I am not pointing at any individual.
Do you agree that the practice of caste politics is rampant in the party?
It rises during elections. This is not good for the party. When we talk about the Malaysian Indian Congress, I think we should represent all Indians irrespective of caste. I think our greatest challenge is that we don't work along caste lines. We should try to integrate and unite the Indians. If we talk about caste, we are not going to unite the Indian community forever.
It is said that caste politics is one of the factors that turn away the younger generation from MIC...
I would not say it is rampant. It surfaces during elections, you can see that it is rampant (only) during elections, and then it disappears but rises again during elections, people tend to go along those lines. It is not a healthy trend for us.
How do you eliminate caste politics?
I think it all comes back to the leaders. We should always avoid ourselves from this kind of political campaigns. We should just go on our own merits, 'What I can do', 'What kind of changes can I bring for the community' and 'How can I improve the lot of the community?'. If we go along those lines, we can revamp.
There is also the perception that you are 'tainted' with regard to the Telekom shares issue scandal. How do you think this negative perception will affect your chances?
This is an issue which arose in 1991/92. It is now almost 18 years. After nine years (following the issue), I came into politics, I was the political secretary (to Samy Vellu), I became a member of parliament, where I won (the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat) by a majority of over 5,000 votes in the by-election, I became the secretary-general of the party, thereafter in the 2004 general election, I won with an 18,000 vote majority, I was promoted to a deputy minister, I also won the (MIC) elections as vice-president. And when election comes, there are no other issues, and they try to plant things and create issues out of nowhere and try to taint somebody's image. This is very unbecoming of present politics.
I think one must go on one's own merits. I have a first class honours degree in business administration from University Malaya, I don't think any other Indian has achieved that yet. I also have a second (class) upper degree from University of London in law. Colleagues of mine have done well in their lives, I have sacrificed my whole life for the public, and today when I see these kind of things, I am sure many other youngsters or professionals will never want to engage in public life (by entering politics). But still I take it as a challenge.
Let people say what they want, the public knows what is right and what is wrong. They know about my integrity, I will go on that. I will go on public perception, not on individuals' lies which is being spread around. When you don't agree, they come and taint you and you are a useless man, when you agree, you are a great man.
It is wrong to say that it is an individual perception, to a certain degree, it is the public's perception because of your association with the matter.
Those things have been answered and cleared. People are now trying to bring back the same issue, just to tarnish one's image. This is a smear campaign that is going on. I have gone so far in politics, today you can see how organised my campaign is, so the only way (for his detractors) is to smear one's name. I am not going to smear anybody's name. I am going to go on a very clean campaign and go on merits.
If people believe in me, believe in the change, if they support me, I will do what is necessary for the community. If they are going to believe in this smear campaign, there is nothing much I can do for them.
Critics are saying that it is not the second tier, but change is only possible if the president steps down.
He has indicated that after these elections, he will give way to whoever is elected. This is known to everybody.
But now he is saying that he might stay on...
That has to be decided by the MIC members. If we don't embrace change, we have to face the consequence of it. I firmly believe in that. You can deny, but you cannot run away from that fact.
Do you perceive him as a stumbling block?
It all depends at the end of the day. The decision has to come from the members or the delegates. They have to make the bold decision. If they want to remain relevant, they have to be brave enough to make the decision. If they don't want to, I think nobody can change our destiny.
Based on the feedback, do you think the delegates are 'brave' enough to make the change?
I am very confident about that.
The president has already named his preferred choice. If someone else wins, will it create further divisions like what is happening in MCA?
The problem that we are facing now is the perception of the community. It is not the problem over the choice of one individual. It is the community's perception that we have pay heed to. If we don't do that, we have to face the wrath of the community.
You can go down to the community and find out what is their preference, what they expect. Remember, at the end of the day, it is the community that makes the party, it is not the top leaders that make the party. If the community says it wants this and that, and if we don't pay heed to that, we are gone.
Going back to the earlier question, if you win the deputy presidency, and you have all these ideas for change but a president who disapproves of your presence there. Would this not be a stumbling block?
The president cannot disapprove when the choice is made by the delegates. It has to be accepted. That is what leadership is all about.
But would he not make it difficult for you...
No, no, no... one man cannot deny the decision of the majority. How can that happen, no way... let it be any of the three (who is elected). It has to be accepted. If you cannot accept it, then you can't be a leader.
Critics say that MIC's glory days are over and it cannot regain lost ground. Do you agree with this?
I think we are on the verge of that. That is why I am talking about change. If we are not prepared to embrace change, we must face the serious consequences. The community is expressing a lot of interest in the MIC elections, they are looking forward to how these elections is going to take place, what will happen. This is what is going to give them hope or... these elections are very crucial to MIC.
Some say that this (your decision to contest) was orchestrated...
Let me make this very clear. There is no orchestration. I have made a very clear, a very bold decision, I am going for broke. Either I make it or I forget about it. There are no two ways about it.
If you are defeated, what will be your next plan?
I think the best is, whoever wins, led them lead the party. I am not going to get involved, and be a nagging point.
Will you quit politics?
That, I will decide after Sept 12.
So this is a 'do or die' battle?
Yes, for me it is definitely a 'do or die' battle. My intentions are very clear, very sincere. I have all my positions in the party, but I have made this bold decision to go for broke simply because I believe change is inevitable. I believe in this change (for MIC) to remain relevant. Only then is there meaning to my existence in MIC. If that doesn't happen, I don't think there will be any meaning to my existence in MIC...
Did the president try to talk you out of it?
Nobody tried to talk me out of it. As a matter of fact, they know when I make a decision, I stand firm by my decision.
Was the president surprised by your decision?
No. He knows that I have made a decision. I think he knows very well about the whole situation. I am very surprised by his late decision to put back his choice of candidate.
Was it a wise choice? How do you rate his line up?
I wouldn't want to do any rating because I only have one vote to cast like any other delegate. Let us look at the wisdom of the delegates.
Critics also say that Barisan Nasional component parties, including MIC, are too subservient to Umno. Do you think this attitude must change?
In politics one has to speak without fear or favour. You must speak your mind. If you feel something is right, you must stand by it... when you feel something is not right, you must be able to speak up. There should not be any fear or favour... because in politics, we are there to determine the future of the community. Every single decision that you make, affects the public. We must speak without fear or favour, and do not look at the feelings of one or two individuals in any particular group. That is the best approach... I do not want to dwell on the past, let me look at the future.
Since the 2008 elections, has the re-branding exercise of MIC brought about any change or has the party remained stagnant?
I think we are going through a very crucial test now. That will be answered by the delegates. Rather than me answering that, I will leave it to the delegates to answer (in the elections). They will be able to give an indication as to whether we paid heed to the calls for changes.
There is also the perception that the rot is far too entrenched from top to bottom in MIC. Will the members be willing to embrace the change or is the party in need of a complete overhaul?
They have to. My personal opinion is that we have to embrace change.
If one day you become the president, how different will the party be?
You will see that for yourself. Believe me.
Some have accused you of money politics?
I don't have money, I have not been in any employment since the March 8 elections. I have devoted my time to the activities of MIC. Since March 2008, I have been at the MIC headquarters virtually everyday, working for the party... at that moment, all these so-called people were never there. Nobody was there, everyone abandoned MIC. They all believed that was the end of it. But now when elections come, everybody is there. When I was busy campaigning, people say I don't turn up at MIC. The last three months, I have been busy campaigning but before that, every other day, MIC leaders and the public know that when they come to the MIC headquarters, I am always there to serve them.
This is what people should look at, I never ran away from my responsibilities. Despite having professional qualifications, despite being admitted to the Bar, I can always go back and do something on my own. But I was not interested because I owe an obligation to the community, to the party, where I held various positions. Just because I lost the general election, lost my government post, it means that I can run away, abandon this party and go? I stood firm by the party, through thick and thin I was there to make sure that things go very well and that we can bounce back. You can see whether others did it or not.
It was speculated that you were there every day in lieu of the promise that you would be named by the president as his preferred candidate.
No. It was not a promise. But I felt there was an obligation on me that when the party is going through a crisis, when most of its members of parliament and state assemblymen have lost their positions, you think it is wise for me to abandon the party and look after my own fortunes... I felt there was a serious obligation to work for the party at that difficult time and I did that wholeheartedly. Although I did go through a lot of difficulties in my personal life, I never shirked away from my responsibilities.
On the possibility of joining the opposition if you do not succeed...
I am very confident about winning this elections. I believe that change will take place. Change is the only way forward. It will take place. So let me stay focused on that.
www.malaysiakini.com (7/9/2009) Sothi: Change is a task for the young, not old Fortes fortuna adiuvat is an antiquated Latin adage which suggests that the Goddess of Fortune smiles on those who are courageous.
And when dawn breaks this Saturday, S Sothinathan will be hoping that the celestial being smiles for him when on the terrestrial plane, some 1,400 MIC delegates decide his fate on Sept 12.
Those who know him well say that he is ambitious, but others did not expect this man of few words to do it and they thought he lacked the guts, but he has proved the doubters wrong.
While the pundits debate on whether it is a wise move or simply political suicide, the father of three however has no regrets about having cast the dice.
But why did he do it?
Because there is no room for sentiments in politics, declares Sothinathan, who also stresses that it is not an art for the faint-hearted.
Drawing inspiration from the likes of Barack Obama, he firmly believes that change is inevitable if MIC is to remain alive.
Rivals have missed the boat
And why should the delegates pick him?
Because just like the American president and unlike his rivals G Palanivel and S Subramaniam, who are in their sixties, the 49-year-old politician feels that age, strength and stamina are on his side.
He mercilessly drives the point home when it is pointed out that the other two contenders are also talking about transformations.
As far as Sothinathan is concerned, the 'productive years' of man are between the ages of 45 and 60 and in that context, the duo, he agrees, have 'missed the boat'.
"My question is simple. They have been there in this position (deputy president). What change have they brought? For 25 years they have been there as deputies, they couldn't bring change..."
"When someone who has been there for such a long time, I mean at this particular stage in life, to talk about change, I really don't understand what (that) change is all about."
"If there is a transition, if someone comes to take up the leadership, they should have the age with them. Not someone who is about to retire..."
True enough, when Malaysiakini caught up with him at his seafront office in his hometown of Port Dickson last week, the former Teluk Kemang MP was full of vigour despite the intense campaign which has seen him criss-crossing the peninsular to canvass for votes.
'This is not orchestrated'
However, his decision to contest for the deputy presidency has irked his mentor, the formidable MIC president.
Stopping just inches from outrightly calling him an ingrate, a slighted Samy Vellu later accused his protege, with whom it is said he shared a father and son relationship with, of deceiving him and reminded the latter that he is what he is because of him.
But Sothinathan shrugs this off with a smile, saying: "Actually, there is no friction between us."
According to the outgoing MIC vice-president, Samy Vellu was initially receptive to the idea of him ascending the party hierarchy. "But come May, there was a change in (his) mind."
Unperturbed by the feathers he may have ruffled, Sothinathan says: "I am not interested in that. I am more interested in the party remaining relevant..."
Is he hurt or discouraged by the president's attack? Not at all. "In politics, you've got to face all these things. You can't be too sentimental about it. You got to be practical about things."
He also stresses that 'unlike the others', he did not abandon the party following its near fatal electoral whipping last year, which also robbed Sothinathan of his MP title.
Prior to the president endorsing the incumbent Palanivel for the post, speculation was rife that Sothinathan is on track to being named the anointed successor. But soon rumours of a tiff began to circulate.
Still there are those who refuse to believe that the challenge is for real.
Some claim that it is a mere charade to break the votes for the president's former deputy and nemesis S Subramaniam, and once the contest is over, the duo will kiss and make up. And a new master plan will be put into work.
Sothinathan however rubbishes this claim.
"Let me make this very clear. There is no orchestration. I have made a very clear, a very bold decision, I am going for broke. Either I make it or I forget about it. There is no two ways about it."
In view of this, the former deputy minister says the focus is on his bid to vanquish the president's choice and the president's foe. And the underdog is confident of sinking his teeth on the coveted prize.
'President has to accept the victor'
On the possibility of the embattled party being plunged into further crisis if Samy Vellu does not accept his victory should the delegates vote for him, Sothinathan puts it bluntly: "One man cannot deny the decision of the majority."
He stresses that the president has to acknowledge the victor irrespective of who he is. "If you cannot accept it, then you can't be a leader."
Responding to critics who accuse MIC of being too subservient to Umno, Sothinathan vows to speak without fear or favour when it comes to defending the community.
"You must speak your mind. If you feel something is right, you must stand by it... when you feel something is not right, you must be able to speak up."
In 2005, he did just that and caused a stir when he erupted in Parliament over the government's de-recognition of a medical university in Ukraine which has a sizable population of Indian Malaysian students.
Although the incident boosted his popularity in the community, it however earned him a three-month suspension as deputy minister. His crime: not toeing the party line.
But Sothinathan, who holds a first class honours degree in business administration apart from being a qualified lawyer, is not without controversy either.
The alleged hijacking of nine million Telekom shares in 1992 continues to be a Sword of Damocles, and although the then Anti-Corruption Agency cleared Samy Vellu of any wrongdoing, Sothinathan has never been able to scrub himself clean off the 'taint' for his alleged role in the scandal, which continues to be the most potent weapon in his detractors' arsenal.
When quizzed on this, he dismisses it as a smear campaign.
"Those things have been answered and cleared. People are now trying to bring back the same issue, just to tarnish one's image. This is a smear campaign that is going on."
'I have never practiced caste politics'
Sothinathan also strongly denies the accusation of playing the caste card with the hope of striking a royal flush in this poker game of high stakes.
"I have never practised caste politics. I have never been brought up in that manner. My family never taught me all those things."
Describing the ongoing campaign as being replete with the politics of money and fear, which he claims to be innocent of, the MIC leader says the fingers which point at him belong to the chief perpetrators of caste politics themselves.
"One can say 'I don't do this, somebody else does this' but at the end of the day, each and every single individual in MIC and also the public know as a matter of fact who preaches all these things."
Asked if the president is also guilty of this, he quickly adds: "Let the people decide, they are all informed about what is happening. I am not pointing at any individual."
While MIC leaders do not openly admit it, caste is an important factor in determining the office bearers and by virtue of being 'Gounders' both Sothinathan and Subramaniam are banking on the same votes.
On how different MIC will be if he becomes president some day, a confident Sothinathan smiles, and says: "You will see that for yourself. Believe in me."
The Government, through the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) and Tekun Nasional (Tekun), has approved a RM15 million loan for Indian youths to expand their businesses this year.
MIC President Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu said the move showed the Barisan Nasional's (BN) commitment towards catering the needs of the Indian community and that the BN never neglected any race in this country.
"With this business loan from the government, we want to establish more young entrepreneurs among the Indian youths. This loan will help the Indian community in achieving three percent equity by the year 2015," he said at the cheque presentation ceremony for the Indian Young Entrepreneur Development Scheme at Wisma Tun Sambanthan here, Friday.
A total of 93 entrepreneurs received loans amounting to RM761,000 at the ceremony. He said the Tekun business loan was promoted and coordinated by the Strategic Social Foundation under the MIC which was established in 1998 to improve the socio-economy of the Indian community.
Later, when asked on his endorsement for incumbent deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel to defend the party's No. 2 post at the MIC elections on Sept 12, he said, as a party leader, the action was necessary as he needed someone who he could work with.
Asked on the MIC offer to provide RM3.2 million to get back the land in Kampung Buah Pala, Bukit Gelugor from the developer to enable the residents to continue living in the village, Samy Vellu said: "It was just a suggestion, but we want to know why Pakatan Rakyat did not fulfill their promises made during the election on March 8 last year to solve the problem faced by the residents there."
The Kampung Buah Pala land controversy came about when the villagers were ordered to vacate the land before Aug 3 following the sale of the 2.6ha land by the previous state government to Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang Bhd, which then appointed Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd to develop the land.
A leader of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has appealed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to intervene and resolve the Kampung Buah Pala issue in Penang.
In a letter dated June 30, K. Vasantha Kumar said Najib’s intervention was “necessary” to prevent the demolition of the village and to provide hope to the 45 families living there.
“I urge the Prime Minister to have an emergency meeting with the developer to stop the demolition and return the land to the residents,” he said.
Vasantha Kumar, who was among five Hindraf leaders detained under the Internal Security Act in December 2007, said if the Najib’s 1Malaysia concept was to become a reality, members of all races, languages, religions and creeds should be treated fairly and equally.
Kampung Buah Pala, popularly known as Penang’s High Chaparral, has been occupied for the past 200 years but its population has now dwindled to 45 families. It is the last known village occupied by Indians in Penang island.
In 2007, the 6.4-acre site was sold for RM3.21mil to Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang Bhd, a cooperative, which entered into a joint venture agreement with Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd for a development project.
The residents had strongly objected and appealed to former Chief Minister Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon to reconsider the sale of the land, to no avail.
The villagers received a notice on Aug 30, 2007, asking them to move out so that their houses could be demolished while compensation talks were ongoing.
After a series of appeals, the Federal Court ruled in favour of the landowner and developer on June 24.
The village has been earmarked for a low medium and medium-cost housing project comprising 740 units, eight shoplots, a community hall and a kindergarten.
I read with care your posting on the call to HINDRAF to wake up and not blame you for the people’s predicament.
You may well remember (or perhaps you and your kuncu-kuncu have now forgotten) that before the last General elections these residents of Kg.Buah Pala did see you and your Kuncus to highlight their problem. Mind you they were already at that time battling a losing war in the Malaysian Courts of Injustice. You and your kuncus made promises that should you win and take over the State you would give the people of Kg.Buah Pala a SOLUTION.
You can’t be as stupid as you sound. You know pretty well what you are talking about. The losing LEGAL battles of these poor and defenseless people are separate matter all together so I repeat “DON’T PRETEND TO BE A FOOL AND NOT UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THE ISSUE AT HAND.” Do not hide behind the Federal Court Ruling and say that you respect and uphold the Rule of Law. The residents are now not talking about the decision of the Federal Court but THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT THE SOLUTION THAT YOU HAD PROMISED THEM BEFORE THE ELECTIONS. In any event if you had respected the Rule of Law why then did you when you were jailed many years ago claim that you were wronged by the decision of the highest court of Law. If you respect the Rule of Law that you are talking about then we should all accept and refer you as EX CONVICT, the CM of Penang.
Now coming back to the issue of SOLUTION you knew pretty well even before the elections that the SOLUTION lies in the LAND ACQUISATION ACT but somehow now you pretend to play dumb by talking about the Ruling of the Federal Court and that you do not have powers to question the said Ruling.
The ONLY PERSON in the State of Penang who can find the solution is you as you are the sole person under the above act who could ACQUIRE THE LAND for these poor people. Let us not deviate from The Court Rulings or the wrong doing of the previous government or UMNO blah!! blah!!. Those are separate matters which need to be addressed by the authorities in the country and as a Parliamentarian I would expect you to make a big ha!!! Ha!!! in parliament on this and not foolishly try to deviate by attacking HINDRAF.
Shame on you Guan Eng as even as an ordinary layman I can see the manipulation of your words.
Now coming back to the LAND ACQUISATION ACT, perhaps you may want to read the following sections and seek proper legal help- Sec 3,8, 18,19,21,22, 36,49,58, 60,63.
Well I don’t want to go on the whole lot of the act but let me remind you of your mighty powers as a Chief Minister under
Section 3 (1) The State authority may acquire any land which is needed
(a) for any public purpose
(b) for any purpose which in the opinion of the State authorities beneficial to the ecomonic development of Malaysia...or to public generally or any class of public
Now the question is why are you refusing to use this power conferred upon you???? Answer this Guan Eng and don’t pretend to be like a fool hiding behind the decision of the Federal Court. Yes the Court has made a decision but these people have been battling their losing war long before you became the CM. Now that they have lost they are asking you to fulfill your election promises which are separate matters.
Perhaps now that you sit in that mighty seat of yours you have forgotten your promises because at the time of making those promises you knew you wouldn’t fulfill it anyway so what the heck. Now do you stand to benefit from the developing project which would enrich an UMNO company? Perhaps you have been promised a cut by UMNO I don’t know!!!!
But you are answerable to the rakyat why you are refusing to use the above sections.
Yes maybe you have prevented the demolition of the Kg since last year. But you didn’t have to use your mighty power to do that – only the power of persuasion that you held as Chief Minister.
We may be simple people but we understand well the meaning and difference between the power of persuasion and the absolute power you hold as a CM.
Thank you for providing all the minute details of the dealings between the previous CM and the UMNO linked company but that smells of corrupt practice by the previous Government. Why are you saying all these only now – even so it is a matter public interest that as a responsible CM you should have lodged Police reports against the BN culprits and not shift the blame on HINDRAF to demonstrate against the BN. You may well bring this to the Parliament- and I ask you why now Guan Eng ???? Were you trying to cover up for them????
Let me now take a passage from your writing:
“The Penang state government regrets the highly irresponsible and irrational actions of Hindraf in targeting the Penang state government over the actions taken by the developer to evict residents in Kampung Buah Pala. Hindraf wants the state government to act against the court order obtained by the developer to evict the residents. This the state government can not do as Pakatan Rakyat governs under the rule of law and is compelled to respect any court order issued.”
HINDRAF or the Kg People never said anywhere that “they wanted you to act against the court order”. Let us be focused Guan Eng don’t be mischievous. Don’t say things that were never said or else you will be “torched” as a liar. Don’t have an addition to the Ex convict pangkat you already have.
Yes no doubt the eviction is by the Capitalist Developers. But again only you have the power to stop this by invoking your power under Sec 3 on grounds of PUBLIC INTEREST. The people are angry because you are not doing anything on the eviction WHEN YOU COULD ACQUIRE THE LAND.
Now lets see this;
“On the other hand, there have been suggestions that the Penang state government forcibly acquires the land under for a public purpose under the Land Acquisition Act. Doing so would play into the hands into the developer who would be able to reap enormous profits without putting in a single cent.”
What do you mean by saying doing so would mean to allow the developer to reap enormous profits without putting a single cent ?? Come on, those guys paid for it albeit for a lesser price.
“Much as the Penang state government would wish to do, cancelling the project and forcibly acquiring the land would incur costs beyond the financial capability of the state government. We are NOT talking about millions of ringgit or tens of millions of ringgit here!”
Ooi!!! are you saying you are going to lose hundreds of millions of ringgit here, when the land was forcibly cheated from the villagers for merely about 3 million at value but now within few years it has rocketed to hundreds of millions. But read the official statement given by your own assemblyman for Komtar and your Political Secretary today in Malaysiakini that the State would need RM 30 million to compensate the developers.
So which is which now Guan ENG- hundreds of million or 30 million. Are you trying to do a BN on us by claiming hundreds of millions out of this whole sage and then shortchange the “poor and helpless developer” by paying them peanuts of 30 million ringgit?????
Look at the second line of the above statement- “canceling the project”- canceling whose project Guan ENG? Why are you so worried about the developers having to cancel their project. The Acquisition Act does not provide for compensation for “cancelled projects”. I wonder why you seem to worry for them. Are you losing your commissions? ???
In any event why jump the gun on the amount to be compensated by the State Government in event of ACQUISITION? ???. The procedures on payment come much after a long procedure to be complied by your state as per Sections 18 – 35. Those are clear procedures and in event the compensation are not agreed upon by the developer then go to Part V of the Act ie Section 36-51.
To cut a long story short the amount of compensation to be paid are to be determined by the Land Administrator after valuations and survey. If this award is not accepted the developer is not entitled to go to Court and he needs the cooperation of the Land Administrator to take it up to the Court.
Even in Court look at section 40 (2), the Court would have to appoint 2 assessors and there is a whole list of possible reputable persons who could assist the Judge on the assessment of compensation. So Guan Eng Look at the Act clearly- Do you now fear the “Rule of Law” that you highly spoke about.
Its funny when it comes to the point of protecting the poor and helpless, it is decided arbitrarily but when it comes to the right of the Capitalist Developers the whole works of the system are with them- The Judiciary, Government and its Machinery, Police, Lawyers, Politicians and the latest the “great political party which championed the rights of the people DAP”.
So Guan Eng stop the lie of having to pay out hundreds of millions of compensation. The poor people need protection and not your lies.
Even publicly you go around stating that each family is given $200,000.00 which is unsubstantiated. You know what I mean, tell me frankly are you sure of this fact as it will haunt you in your attempt to hoodwink the public. Speak to the families and see who is getting $200,000.00 if you really care. You never got to the root of the problem but decided to play the BN game to save your own skin.
Do not divert to Hindraf not demonstrating against other party- the point is at the moment, as it stands you and only you have the POWER and if you do not exercise it for the benefit of the poor and helpless who had legally occupied the Land under trust for 200 years until they were cheated then why the hell did the people give you the power????
You don’t have to talk about the first Indian Deputy Chief Minister. Mind you if not for Waytha Moorthy issuing statements and demanding for a Deputy Chief Minister immediately after the General elections you wouldn’t even have bothered to put your puppet Ramasamy.
Don’t pull the wool by saying DAP did this and that for the Indians. Yes you would have done it but so what? Isn’t that your duty.
I do not want to comment on your other points meant to divert from the main issue at hand ie ACQUISITION.
THE PEOPLE OF KG BUAH PALA ARE FOCUSSED AND KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT AND SO DO YOU. STOP THE NONSENCE OF PRETENDING IGNORANCE AND GET TO THE POINT GUAN ENG. I DARE YOU REFUTE MY WRITE UP.
I can be reached at wongmunchee@ gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
The claim that the Indian community is not given a fair chance to hold tops posts in government-linked companies (GLCs) is not true, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.
Najib, who is also finance minister, said that 17,507 or 7.9 per cent of the 222,382 employees in the 20 biggest and listed GLCs were of Indian descent.
"A total of 175 employees or 5.1 per cent hold top management posts (managers and above) in the GLCs," he said in his written reply in the Dewan Rakyat to Dr P. Ramasamy (DAP-Batu Kawan) who wanted to know why the Indians are not given a fair chance to hold top posts like that of manager in the GLCs.
Najib said the GLCs did not impose any racial quota in recruitment or promotion and key appointments were based on merit, experience, expertise and suitability, not on ethnic background.
"This is to ensure that the GLCs have really qualified and capable top managements," he said.
The Hindu Rights Action Force’s (Hindraf) is organising a nationwide protest in a final bid to force the DAP-led Penang government to save what they claim is the last Indian cultural heritage village on the island.
On Wednesday, the outlawed organisation, which was credited with delivering the bulk of Indian votes to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in last year’s general elections, will mobilise its members to gather outside Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s office at Komtar.
They plan to burn an effigy of the DAP secretary-general.
Others will also protest the forced eviction and demolition of Kampung Buah Pala at DAP headquarters in Ipoh, Petaling Jaya and Seremban.
National coordinator S. Jayathas told The Malaysian Insider that the drastic action was warranted as the demolition would take place on Thursday and Hindraf needed to show its seriousness in the matter.
“If PR state governments can give land to Chinese and Malays, then why not Indians? If they cannot even solve this, then what is the different between Umno and DAP?” he said.
Hindraf supporters have in recent months expressed dissatisfaction at PR due to what is perceived as broken promises.
The bulk of Indian voters had supported the fledgling alliance in hopes that it would rectify the disenfranchisement felt by the Indian community.
A number of Hindraf members led by former Hindraf leader RS Thanenthiran have also formed the Malaysian Makkal Sakthi Party, a breakaway party that appears friendly towards Barisan Nasional.
Kampung Buah Pala, sits on a 2.6ha piece of prime land in the rapidly developing eastern Georgetown.
The current 300 villagers and their ancestors, mostly of Tamil origins, have been living in the village for nearly 200 years.
A few weeks ago, Hindraf founder P. Uthayakumar had called on Lim to use his powers as chief minister to save Kampung Buah Pala from developers as provided in Section 76 of the National Land Code.
He said that Lim could do so “with a stroke of the pen” and provide a different plot of land to the developers should it be unable to pay compensation.
The residents association have also offered to buy the land from the state government.
Penang MIC Youth wing blasted PAS Youth for planning a mass protest this Friday against the recent cabinet ruling that banned conversion of minors without mutual consent of both parents in case of strained conjugal relationship.
The MIC Youth chief M Suresh also slammed Indian members in the PAS non-Muslim club for being "sitting ducks and not being able to raise a finger" against their Muslim colleagues for not protecting non-Muslim rights.
He said the protest planned by PAS Youth after this week’s Friday prayers clearly demonstrated that the party was not for all as propagated by its leaders.
PAS information chief Mahfuz Omar has also slammed last month’s cabinet ruling that children of divorced parents should be raised in the religion at the time of their marriage should one of them convert to another religion.
Suresh was critical that PAS’ brand of politics and religious zeal failed to uphold natural justice and universal concept of human rights.
He accused PAS non-Muslim club members for failing to voice their opinions in favour of the cabinet decision and against the religious fervour of their fanatical party colleagues.
"The Indian supporters of PAS should openly disagree with the stance taken by their Muslim colleagues. They should defend and protect their Hindu dignity and integrity.
"Otherwise, they should repent and seek alternative parties, such as MIC," he said.
He criticised PAS Indian supporters for blindly campaigning for the Islamist party during the general election in March last year.
'PAS is a sectarian party' Suresh said the protest against the cabinet decision and Mahfuz’s criticism clearly exposed the PAS lie that the party represent all Malaysians regardless of their religious and ethnic backgrounds.
"It’s obvious now that PAS is a sectarian party hell bent to protect only one particular ethnic group while forsaking others," he told Malaysiakini today.
The cabinet ruling apparently was a move to alleviate the frustration of affected parents when their children had been converted to another religion without their knowledge and consent.
The latest high-profile incident happened in Ipoh last month when a Muslim convert Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah converted his three underage children to Islam without the knowledge of his estranged Hindu wife M Indira Gandhi.
Last week, the Ipoh High Court granted Indira custody of all her three children pending the full custody hearing on May 12. The older children - Tevi Darsiny, 12, and Karan Dinesh, 11, - were in the care of their mother from the beginning.
The court also ordered that the youngest child, Prasana Diksa, who is in her father's care to be returned to the mother.
The cabinet decision, however, is set to be tested by the highest court of the land if the current laws and enactments are not amended to provide clear interpretation on matters related to such conversion cases, according to those in the legal circles.
A judicial test on the cabinet ruling is already on the cards as Muslim convert Mohd Ridzuan has challenged its decision in court.
"This (cabinet) ruling contradicts the federal constitution, it is illegal and not applicable on Muslims, including myself and my children," the Muslim convert said in a court document filed on April 28 opposing the cabinet order.
The Perak Barisan Nasional has nominated former Sungkai assemblyman Datuk R. Ganesan to replace Assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar.
Writing in his blog speakforperak.blogspot.com, Sivakumar said the motion to nominate Ganesan, 57, was received by the office of the assembly’s secretary on Thursday morning.
Perak MIC secretary Datuk R. Ganesan
The motion, dated April 29, was proposed by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and seconded by senior executive council member Datuk Hamidah Osman, he said.
He added that an acceptance letter from Ganesan, who agreed to be nominated, was also attached with the motion.
A lawyer by training, Ganesan, who is also Perak MIC secretary, was a two-term assemblyman.
He was dropped as a candidate in the 2008 general election.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting attended by Perak Pakatan Rakyat leadership on Thursday evening, Sivakumar had said he had yet to decide whether to reject the motion to remove him, as proposed by Dr Zambry.
It has been reported that Dr Zambry would move a motion to remove Sivakumar on May 7 after the opening of the state assembly’s next meeting by Sultan Azlan Shah.
Notice of the motion to remove Sivakumar was delivered to all elected representatives last week by state assembly secretary Abdullah Antong Sabri.
According to the notice, if the motion is passed, the next agenda would be to appoint a new Speaker.
All assemblymen were also told to propose a candidate’s name and submit it to Abdullah Antong.
MIC president S Samy Vellu has made a surprise visit to Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) national coordinator RS Thanenthiran, who has been hospitalised after suffering from a heart attack on Saturday.
MCPX
"I was caught by surprise when he (Samy Vellu) and his aides suddenly came to see me,” said Thanenthiran, who is also seeking treatment at Penang’s Gleneagles Hospital for a heart and collar bone disorder.
"Samy told me that he was concerned about my health and he would pray for my speedy recovery," he told Malaysiakini.
The embattled MIC chief had apparently set aside his busy campaign schedule in Bukit Selambau by-election to visit the local Hindraf leader yesterday at the hospital.
Thanenthiran was one of the many potential candidates overlooked by PKR in the April 7 Bukit Selambau by-election.
The party eventually picked greenhorn S Manikumar to fight against MIC’s veteran S Ganesan and 13 other Independents.
This led to Hindraf openly calling for a boycott of the by-election.
The Hindraf leader said he was “pleasantly surprise” to see Samy Vellu even though Hindraf and MIC were bitter rivals in championing the plight of Indian Malaysians.
MIC’s massive electoral defeat in the general election last year was largely attributed to Hindraf’s aggressive campaign for the rights of the minority Indian community.
Barisan Nasional leaders have since argued that Hindraf’s army of saffron-clad supporters were among the major reasons for the ruling coalition’s electoral reverses in the national polls.
The opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition, comprising PKR, DAP and PAS, has made unprecedented political gains in the general elections, denying BN its two-third parliamentary majority and winning five state governments.
No visit from Pakatan leaders
Thanenthiran is however bitter that no top leaders from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat had bothered to pay him a visit.
"There was not even a courtesy phone call from (PKR leader) Anwar (Ibrahim) or anyone," said Thanenthiran, who is wearing a cervical traction to help straighten his body alignment and ease pain in his neck muscle.
Meanwhile, the human rights group’s Penang deputy coordinator R Sanjeeviramah slammed PKR leaders of being “ungrateful”.
"Anwar and other PKR leaders have forgotten Hindraf’s sacrifice and contributions to the party’s political cause.”
A: We have briefed more than 3,000 branches on our re-branding programme. We have to brief 210 more branches in Negri Sembilan and another 430 in Selangor.
The branches briefed are already adopting our new approach in handling the people’s problems, including assessing the situation, analy-sing how we have been doing and getting feedback.
Q: What next? A: We have to engage the people and tell them what we are doing to improve their status.
We were approaching things in an individual manner, meaning the branch leader was approached with a problem and he would take it to the MIC leadership.
Now, we have changed the approach. The branch leader will form a small team, whose members include professionals, to listen to the people’s problems.
The team will bring up the issue with the elected representative of the area.
The people’s problems are not communal. We cannot operate on communal lines anymore. Operating on communal lines is why the problems of certain communities are never-ending and that is what contributes to dissatisfaction.
It is not only the party’s responsibility to solve the problem, it is the elected representatives’ responsibility as well.
The branch leaders have to solve the problems at their level with the help of the elected representatives.
The party’s top leadership should not be burdened with minor issues. It has to tackle issues at macro level, such as increasing Indian employment in government service or formulating ways to increase the community’s economic wealth. But, for that, we need the government to offer jobs and licences to the Indian community so that it can raise its equity in the national economy.
We are also proposing a unit trust fund with government guarantee for the community.
Q: How sure are you that the new approach will work?
A: There are only three MIC representatives and it is difficult for them to solve the problems of more than two million Indians. Furthermore, the problems faced by Indians in Malaysia are not the responsibility of MIC alone but that of the Barisan Nasional as well.
Everyone in BN is duty- bound to help people regardless of their racial background. This way, many of the problems affecting the Indian community or other communities can be solved and there will be no resentment against BN.
It has to be a collective effort on the part of BN at the grassroots level onwards, no more communal-based, from local councils up to the state government and then the Federal Government.
For instance, if there is an opening for 10 positions in a local council, the Indian community should be considered for some of the positions. Otherwise, where can the Indians go to become council members? Q: How about in the Pakatan Rakyat-held states? How will the approach there be?
A: It is the same approach.
Branch leaders should take up the issues with the relevant government departments. This is the time for branch leaders to play their part, to win back the confidence of the people. Q: How are the branch leaders taking to this new approach?
A: There is a lot of enthusiasm and they are ready to face the challenges. There is nothing for them to lose. Q: How successful do you think the rebranding exercise will be?
A: MIC on its own can achieve success only to a certain extent. BN, also, has to undergo a rebranding exercise. Many component parties, including Umno, are talking about it.
We have to prove that BN component parties can work as a team. We may have done some things wrongly in the past. It is time we put it right.
Q: What about Hindraf?
A: It is a banned movement. The Indian community wanted an umbrella movement to voice their problems. It turned to Hindraf but that organisation could not help it.
MIC did not make itself easily accessible to people to voice their issues. But all that is changing. We have to serve the people. This is not the time to abandon those who left us.
The Economic Planning Unit (EPU) in the Prime Minister’s Department has allocated RM12mil to improve the livelihood of the Indian community.
Deputy Minister Datuk S. K. Devamany said several programmes were being planned to train Indian youths in vocational courses.
The courses included those in the hospitality and services industry namely tourism, broadcasting, filming, logistics, and entrepreneurship.
“The Government wants the community to realise that many people have benefited from EPU’s efforts,“ he told a press conference after launching the eAcademy, a joint-venture between KnowledgeCom and SAP Malaysia here yesterday.
He said those interested in attending training programmes should register at the Social Strategic Foundation (YSS) of the MIC.
“YSS will also consider giving out small loans to those who want to start a business,” he added. “The EPU has also given out 200 taxi permits to Malaysian Indians through the Entrepreneur Development and Coorperative Ministry,“ he said.
Remember September 16? It was Anwar who started the FROG game back then.. calling out for BN MPs to JUMP.... Back then, his supporters saw him as a hero of democracy. And now he got JUMPED. The same people who are now calling for fresh elections in Perak, had applauded Anwar then.
In 10 months 1 of 5 PR ruled states collapsed. Its their own leaders ( the 3 PR reps) who caused this fall. And they are not just normal wakil rakyats, they are exco's and dept speaker. So let the rakyat do some calculation on PR's credibility.
I am strongly against party-hopping. I personally think that BN should have proposed for a re-election to win back a REAL mandate. Well.... its politics I guess.... making use of the opportunity that one got. Reading from current situation, it's more realistic for BN get back IN this way. Its a opportunity for them rectify their past fouls and prove themself.
GOOD LUCK FOR THE NEW PERAK GOVERNMENT. CONGRATULATIONS DR ZAMBRY.
No reps for indians in preak now................. Dato Saravanan in BN TAKESOVER PERAK
One fact that I noticed is that the Indian community, which threw bulk of their votes for the opposition at the polls, have become the major losers result of the latest political manoeuvre.Under the opposition, the community had a speaker and a state exco member. But not anymore.
There are no Indian representatives in the BN in the Perak state assembly. Where does the Indian community takes its problems? Who do they go to in case of problems and they need assistance?
I am not bragging or anything like that but I seem to be the only Indian BN elected representative in the state by virtue of being the member of parliament for Tapah.The answer to the above questions have yet to be answered by the BN leadership.
The leadership needs to create a position on par with a state exco to look at Indian affairs in the state. He must be given powers to instruct any state-run bodies, like an exco member. This person must also be hardworking as he would be instrumental in trying to bring back the Indian voters into the BN fold.
Although it is still early days, plans must be put in place so that the community in Perak does not feels neglected or sidelined by the ruling Barisan Nasional government.With all this in mind, I wish to remind the Indian community about one thing. Politics are played by politicians and as members of the Indian community, I urge the people to come united on this matter. Please ensure that we are not left behind in any development. This post is just a gist of what I have to say on the matter. More will follow. Thank you
If one has any sense of belonging to the community, the bare minimum they can do is to support a positive initiative and not churn out baseless accusations. Yes, we are heading towards total success and we are seeing leaders emerging from the re-branding exercise recharged, re-ignited and re-vitalized. We are now moving with more spirit into the next phase of re-branding and are extremely confident of seeing ourselves penetrating the minds and the hearts of the community. Please join us and be part of this success story.
Irrespective of what critics say, we will continue with our mission to re-brand and transform MIC into an exemplary party that strives on serving the people. We will continue to encourage and implement the agenda of the Indians in this country while we strive to co-exist in harmony with the other races. The re-branding exercise will be one of our vehicles to achieve this noble cause.
We would like to reiterate that MIC's re-branding exercise is unique. The methodology employed has been tested and has produced the desired results. It consists of a variety of strategic components and the strategies underlining the re-branding have been carefully analysed, examined, selected and deployed for the benefit of the party and the community.
Assist us to make our re-branding exercise a success.
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will resolve the controversy over the awarding of the Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship, especially the overseas programme, and the entry into matriculation programme in local universities, said MIC vice-president Dr S Subramaniam today.
"Samy told me that he was concerned about my health and he would pray for my speedy recovery," he told 
The Hindraf leader said he was “pleasantly surprise” to see Samy Vellu even though Hindraf and MIC were bitter rivals in championing the plight of Indian Malaysians.
"There was not even a courtesy phone call from (PKR leader) Anwar (Ibrahim) or anyone," said Thanenthiran, who is wearing a