Bernama: The MIC will embark on a major exercise to rope in more professionals and youths to run branches in a bid to regain the Indians’ trust and confidence in the party and Barisan Nasional (BN), party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said today.

He said the MIC would have to think of new strategies to woo them into the party as previous approaches might not be acceptable.

Opening the Perlis MIC Convention, he said the party had set its target on young graduates.

He also said the MIC would discard the “old methods” that had prevented them from voicing their ideas and dissatisfaction through the party.

"We want to allow for more voices, especially from professionals and youths, to be heard,” he said.

He said this move was part of the party’s re-branding exercise launched recently.

The MIC President said the time had come for the party to re-look at the way branches and divisions had been operating and to inject new dynamism and work culture among the leaders.

“In the last general election, the Indians rejected us because we were seen to be ineffective, but the truth is, we fought for their rights. Our mistake was not to make use of the Internet more effectively to disseminate the correct information and to counter the many lies spread about our party,” he said.

He also said it was incorrect to say that majority of the Indian voters voted for the opposition in the last general election.
"They voted against us because they were frustrated with BN for not doing enough,” he said.

Samy Vellu said it was found that 60 per cent of the Indian voters voted for the BN in the last general election compared to almost 85 per cent Indians who voted for the coalition in previous general elections.

He said what the party needed to do know was to stop the “soul searching’ process and the “denial syndrome” and get on with the job of rejuvenating MIC.

He also said the MIC would give its “full backing” to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to fulfil the pledges made by BN in the last general election.

“This is our priority now. We want the government to honour all its pledges made in the Ninth Malaysia Plan for the Indians,” he said, adding that by doing so, it would regain the Indians’ trust in the government and BN.