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It remains a mystery as who will succeed MIC president S Samy Vellu as he admits that he has no succession plan in place.

Speaking at a press conference after addressing the party's 62nd general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur this morning, Samy said he will leave it to the grassroots to choose their next leader.

"The grassroots can elect their next leader. When there is an election, the question of 'automatic' (succession) goes off. I don't think anything can happen without an election," he told reporters.

"We want everybody to think that finally it is the members who are going to elect the president," he said referring to the 3,600 delegates who will have their say in electing the president come March next year.

He also clarified that branches are free to elect whoever they want as their leaders and he will not object to it.

Asked on his readiness to step down after the abysmal showing of MIC in the last elections, Samy deflected the idea by saying that the embattled Indian-based party is in the process of a "strong rejuvenation".

"I don't know if that sort of a thing can happen now. I could have just dropped the party and walked away. But I don't want to see MIC destroyed," he explained.

Previously, in the 2006 party election, Samy had openly voiced his support for his former press secretary, G Palanivel to be deputy president.

Palanivel eventually stood against incumbent S Subramaniam and won. However, with Samy Vellu's statement today that there is no succession plan in place, it might pose another deep-seated problem for the beleaguered party.

MIC is the only major party in the Barisan Nasional without a clear succession plan as both MCA and Umno have announced theirs in recent days.

"I have to engage with overseas experts to draw my succession plan since you are so interested," Samy joked in response to repeated questions on the leadership transition in the party.

There appears to be no frontrunner for Samy's successor. In a Malaysiakini poll yesterday participated by 5,109 readers, 22 percent voted for Subramaniam while Palanivel ended up a distant third with 3.1 percent.

Grassroots must behave like grassroots

In his keynote address earlier, the MIC president started on a stiff note saying that "grassroots should behave like grassroots", in apparent reference to the 'walk-out" of some delegates at a party dinner last night.

In the incident, it is learnt that Samy's ire started with party information chief M Saravanan leaving the function hall early, after having stayed for only 15 minutes. His followers also left with him. This resulted in an annoyed Samy to also leave the dinner early.

Saravanan, who is the deputy federal territory minister, confirmed with the Star today that he had left early “as there was no protocol at the dinner.”

He added that he was cheesed off because [former deputy president] S Subramaniam was seated at the main table with other MIC leaders and prominent Indian businessmen.

“As the party's information chief and deputy minister, I was not given due respect,” Saravanan said, adding that “I don't know on what basis Subramaniam was given prominence as he is just a division leader."

On the incident, Samy indicated to reporters that some media would twist it as a sign of protest to his leadership.

"What actually happened was that the moment they finished eating, they left while others were still dining.

"If they are that unhappy with Samy Vellu, they wouldn't be here today," he laughed.

In his speech, Samy also highlighted five main issues faced by the Indian community that require urgent government attention.

The areas of concern are transportation licensing, agro-businesses, small and medium enterprises, metal scrap dealing and vendor development and entrepreneurship.

He pledged MIC's solidarity with the Barisan Nasional, adding that "the BN are the guardians of the multiracial society in Malaysia".

He however urged BN to do away with racial politics in order to win back support from the people.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who opened the assembly stressed that MIC is an old friend and BN will stand by the party.

"Whatever the difficulties and whatever the failures, we have to look at all of this (referring to general election results) as a lesson to learn from. It is not a tragedy, it is a lesson," he said.

The prime minster also spoke about the four issues plaguing the government's administration.

"We have to work very hard together to resolve issues such as the fuel price hike, rising inflation, world food crisis and competition for the global market," he added.

Samy: Different style of politics

Commenting on the determination to rebrand the party, Samy pointed out that MIC had won many times, "so what is the distress that we have lost once". This drew enthusiastic cheers from the delegates.

The MIC supremo who has led the party for 29 years then referred to an age old Tamil proverb which translates that "the only way to learn hard lessons is through experience, no matter how painful".

He subsequently said that a change is needed in the style of politics but conceded that rebranding would be a mammoth task which must be implemented.

"It's a very big exercise to convert (the members) to new thinking," he confessed.

Commenting on Abdullah's plan to hand over the premiership to his deputy Najib Razak in 2010, Samy quipped that the duo are "good partners".

However he implied that MIC did not have much role in the decision- making process.

"Although we are partners in Barisan Nasional, we can only see what is happening. We are not active participants. Still it is their (Umno) decision," lamented Samy.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today announced immediate steps to enhance education among Indian students, either at school or university level, for the long-term benefit of the country's third largest community.

He said among others, the government had agreed to turn more partly-aided Tamil schools, many of which are in the rural areas, into fully-aided schools.

"The government will also speed up the process of merging and consolidating the Tamil schools that have less than 50 students," he said in his speech when opening the 62nd MIC general assembly in Kuala Lumpur today.

According to Bernama, the prime minister said the government also agreed that students from the MIC-run Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST) University in Kedah would be allowed to apply for scholarships from the Public Services Department.

Fifth private U to enjoy facility

The move will make AIMST University the fifth private university to enjoy such a facility after institutions like the Monash University, Swinburne University and the University of Nottingham, among others.

The BN chief said the government would also assist the AIMST University to increase its student population in critical fields such as engineering and medical - a move which Abdullah said would help push the university's standard to a higher level.

He said such a recognition would indirectly result in more Indian students taking courses at the university, of which main campus was under construction on a 156-hectare site in Semeling, Kedah.

The AIMST University now operates at its temporary campus in Bandar Aman Jaya, Sungai Petani.

Abdullah said the government was giving emphasis to education in the efforts to help the community because the success of future generation would depend on human capital development through skills enhancement training and education.

Earlier, the prime minister asked all quarters to really understand why the Barisan Nasional government had to implement measures regarded as unpopular, such as restructuring the fuel price subsidy which resulted in higher prices for petrol and diesel.

Responsibility, not popularity

He said the measures, some of which had made the people angry with the government, had to be implemented to ensure that the people were not burdened for the long term.

"Every decision may have not been popular but we had to resort to implementing them all the same because the government has to assume the responsibility in the interests of the people and country," he said.

Abdullah pointed out that the BN government was not prepared to neglect the responsibility it had been entrusted with by being popular through the introduction of measures that did not bring any benefit to the people.

"It is stupid for the government to seek to be unpopular. Why should we do something to be unpopular? Why must we do something for the people to get angry and condemn us? Why?

"We feel we don't want all that but what we want to do is something that we must do. We took those measures not to become popular.

"We cannot be popular but we must be responsible to the people and the nation," he said.

Abdullah added that the BN government was striving hard to overcome the problems of the people and announcements would be made from time to time on the measures taken in that direction.

KUALA LUMPUR: "I am not leaving. My position is not decided by the MIC Youth, but by the 3,600 MIC delegates nationwide."

This was the response from MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu to calls by Kedah MIC Youth leaders for him to step down from the top party post.

"There will be a presidential election next March. The delegates will be voting again," said Samy Vellu, who has been at the party's helm for 24 years.

He was speaking after opening the 26th delegates' conference of Hindudharma, a Hindu-based non-governmental organisation, yesterday.

Samy Vellu said it was common practice to have one or two party members objecting to a party leader.

The former minister was commenting on the move by Kedah MIC Youth leaders, including its chief R. Nantha Kumar, who resigned en bloc from their posts three days ago as a sign of protest against Samy Vellu's leadership in the party.

They were also against Samy Vellu's call for MIC Youth national chief S. Vigneswaran to resign from his post because he had passed the 41-year age limit.

Samy Vellu said: "I am the one who put him (Nantha Kumar) there. But the Youth chief failed to keep his promise to have a proper organisation for Kedah (MIC) Youth."

On the reason for asking Vigneswaran to vacate his post, Samy Vellu said it was in accordance with the party's constitution.

"The ruling that states a youth chief has to resign at the age of 41 was made about three or four years ago."

Samy Vellu also said it was to give way for the younger generation to serve the party.

"There are a lot of young graduates who want to help the party but cannot do so as others are holding the post of Youth chief for too long.

"We are not asking those above 41 years old to get out. We want them. We still want them to go to the ground and help the community. But we have to give way to young blood."

JOHOR BARU: Police yesterday arrested another MIC member to assist investigations into the murder of former Tenggaroh state assemblyman S. Krishnasamy.

The 45-year-old man, believed to be a member of a MIC branch in Kluang, was arrested at his home.

This brings the number of people currently in police custody in connection with the case to four.

The spate of arrests started with a 46-year-old MIC senior leader, also from Kluang, on June 17. Two others were arrested three days later in Malacca.

Johor police chief Datuk Mokhtar Mohd Sharif confirmed the latest arrest but declined to elaborate.

Krishnasamy, 62, who was the Johor MIC deputy chairman, was shot in a lift at the Johor MIC headquarters in Jalan Segget here on Jan 11.

Others who had been detained and released in connection with the case were a female clerk at the MIC state head office, the victim's driver and a personal assistant to Johor MIC chairman Datuk K.S Balakrishnan.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED), MIC's education arm, has been receiving more applications for student loans, but the number of approvals is likely to be reduced due to financial constraints caused by defaulters.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said although non-performing loans had been reduced to 17 per cent, the fact that other students were being denied access to these funds remained an urgent matter for MIED.

Besides legal action against defaulters, Samy Vellu said the loan programme had been restructured by allocating funds on a yearly basis and not for the duration of the course.

For instance, if a student pursued a three-year course, MIED would allocate funds for the first year only.

Money for the remaining two years would depend on the student's academic performance and additional funds provided by the student's family.

He said this after presenting MIED loans to 185 applicants, amounting to RM1.5 million at the MIC headquarters yesterday. Of the 185, 90 will pursue medicine.

He said since the loan programme was established in the 1980s, about RM90 million had been disbursed to 8,500 students to pursue tertiary education.

On the recent public university intake, he reminded Indian students who failed to secure a seat to submit their appeal to the MIC by June 26.

The party had requested for an eight per cent intake for Indian students, but had to settle for 6.84 per cent this year.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC Youth chief S.A. Vigneswaran and several other leaders of the wing have been asked to vacate their posts as they have passed the age limit.

Party secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the decision to ask them to vacate their posts was taken at the party's central working committee (CWC) meeting nearly two weeks ago.

"The party's constitution states that a youth leader or member in the youth wing should not exceed the age of 40.

"This means that when they reach their 41st birthday, they need to vacate their positions in the youth wing," Dr Subramaniam, who is human resources minister, said.

He said that apart from Vigneswaran, several other leaders would also be given letters requiring them to relinquish their positions.

Among them were deputy chief S. Ramis, secretary M. Kumaresan, information chief K. Raj Kumar and youth representative to the CWC, S. Murugesan.

Dr Subramaniam said: "We are going by the party's constitution regarding the age limit.

"Since all these leaders have passed the age limit, they have no choice but to let go their positions." - Bernama

HUMAN RESOURCE MINISTRY:

LATEST UPDATE : PSD SCHOLARSHIPS-

TOTAL STUDENTS RECEIVED : 164

MEDICAL : 59
ENG/IT : 47
MANAGEMENT: 21
ETC: 37

9 A'S STUDENTS WHOM DID NOT OBTAIN SCHOLARSHIPS WOULD BE PLACED IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES. THOSE WHO DID NOT OBTAIN A PLACE, PLS CONTACT MIC HQ.

JOHOR BARU: A senior MIC leader here was arrested in connection with the murder of former state MIC deputy chairman Datuk S. Krishnasamy.

The 46-year-old man was picked up from his house in Kluang at 12.30am on Tuesday and remanded for six days. The man, a former councillor, is the most senior politician ever to be arrested in connection with the Jan 11 murder of the former Tenggaroh assemblyman.

Police have, to date, arrested more than a dozen people in connection with the case, including several MIC members but no one has been charged so far.

Krishnasamy was shot once under the left eyebrow just as he entered the lift at the state MIC building in Johor Baru on Jan 11.

State police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Mokhtar Sharif confirmed the arrest.

KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad did very little for the Indian community when he was prime minister, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said yesterday.

Samy Vellu said the Indians had to struggle on their own for more than 140 years and achieved success only through sheer hard work .

"Despite the MIC appealing again and again for help, he refused to budge," Samy Vellu said in response to Dr Mahathir's remarks during a talk in Teluk Intan on Saturday.

The former prime minister had said the Malays were willing to admit other races into the country and endowed them with rights.

He had also demolished the notion of a Bangsa Malaysia and said Malaysians must accept the fact that they were just too different to be known as one race.

Dr Mahathir's remarks have drawn flak from non-Malay groups, who felt that national unity was crucial for the country to meet its future challenges.

Samy Vellu said Dr Mahathir should not be taking a racist approach at a time when Malaysians were working hard towards unity.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said anyone can contest for the presidency when nominations are held next year.

“I will not stop anyone from contesting for the post,” he said.

The 72-year-old, who has been the president since 1979, completes his term on March 8 next year. Elections would have to be held within two months after that.

Speaking to reporters after presenting the President’s Merit Award to 411 SPM and STPM students here on Thursday, he said: "Lots of people want to see Samy Vellu finished."

“I don’t worry about it. I will keep on serving the Indian community and the MIC until they say that they don’t want me … then I will say goodbye”, he said.

Samy Vellu failed to retain his Sungei Siput parliamentary seat in the March 8 general election.

Under the party constitution, anyone who wants to contest for the president’s post must garner 50 nominations signed by 300 branch chairmen before being eligible.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has declared that he would contest the top post for a record 11th term at the party's presidential election in March next year.

"I will not stop anyone from contesting the president's post.

"We are a democratic party. I am elected by popular vote, so it is the members who will decide.

"I will continue serving until the members say they don't want me. My term ends on March 8," Samy Vellu said after handing over the president's merit awards to excellent SPM and STPM Indian students at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday.

Samy Vellu, 72, has declared that he would quit active politics in 2012 and this bid would be his last as party president, a post which he has held since 1981, after serving two years before as acting president.

The MIC supremo lost the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat in the March 8 general election, and speculation has been rife that the veteran politician would contest the post for the last time next year before handing over the party to the chosen successor.

To contest the president's post, a potential candidate needs to amass at least 50 nominations from the 3,600 MIC branches nationwide.

Samy Vellu, who joined the party in 1959 as an ordinary member, garnered 528 nominations to contest the post in the last presidential election, which he won uncontested.

He moved up the ranks in the party from being an ordinary member to taking over the highest position in the MIC after 22 years.

In 1971, he became the Youth chief, was elected vice-president in 1975 and became deputy president in 1977 after defeating Datuk S. Subramaniam who was then party secretary-general.

He became a member of parliament in 1978 and following the death of Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam in 1979, he was made acting party president.

He was elected president on March 22, 1981, a position he had held since despite a challenge by Subramaniam for the post in 1990. -- Bernama

THE Indian population is on the decline and action must be taken to stop this, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said, in a Tamil Nesan front-page report.

He said the current Indian population stood at 7.8% and this was expected to fall to 7% in five years.

Samy Vellu was speaking to reporters after opening Pahang MIC’s 62nd annual delegates conference in a hotel in Genting Highlands yesterday.

He said currently, the Government gave allocations based on the population of the Indian community

IT looks like nothing has changed in MIC despite the so-called rebranding of the party. For speaking out against party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, Klang division chief P. Thiagarasan, better known as Alex Thiagarasan, was given a show-cause letter.

Thiagarasan had raised questions about Maika Holdings and the allegedly hijacked Telekom shares. Nothing new actually, as other MIC leaders of various ranks have in the past questioned the party over this issue. But then again, neither is the action against Thiagarasan.

Former Maika Holdings managing director Tan Sri G.K. Rama Iyer was told to resign in 1992 following a dispute with Samy Vellu over the shares' allocation. Former MIC public relations committee chairman V. Subramaniam, better known as Barat Maniam, was removed from his post in 1994 for implicating party top leaders in the controversy.

The Maika-Telekom share controversy started in 1992 when Lim Kit Siang, then the DAP secretary-general, claimed in Parliament that Samy Vellu had "hijacked" nine million of the 10 million Telekom Malaysia shares originally allotted to Maika Holdings.

The nine million shares were allegedly channelled to three companies - Clear Way Sdn Bhd, Advanced Personal Computers Sdn Bhd and SB Management Sdn Bhd - which were allegedly associated with Samy Vellu.

The Anti-Corruption Agency began investigations into the case in April that year. Although it subsequently cleared Samy Vellu of any wrongdoing, the controversy has continued to haunt the MIC.

Many are convinced that the re-branding exercise as announced by Samy Vellu cannot take place without settling the Maika Holdings/Telekom shares controversy.

But is the show-cause letter to Thiagarasan merely to shut him up for raising old issues or is this another case of Samy Vellu going after his critics and challengers?

History may be a good guide. Since Samy Vellu became party supremo he has seen away former deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam from the MIC mainstream and expelled Datuk S. Nallakaruppan for challenging him in one way or another.

Former deputy health minister Datuk K. Pathmanaban was often sidelined from the MIC mainstream for being aligned with Subramaniam as were many other members aligned with Subramaniam.

The late Tan Sri M.G. Pandithan, who was then a vice-president and one-time blue-eyed boy of the president, was also sacked for going against Samy Vellu.

After the disaster suffered by most of the Barisan Nasional component parties in the 12th general election in March, the leadership of parties which fared poorly in the polls has come under heavy fire from disgruntled members.

The presidents of MCA, Gerakan and even Umno have all been taken to task and even asked to step down, but how have they reacted?

MCA's Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting is facing a battle with the Save MCA campaign, set up to pressure him to resign over the party's dismal performance in the general election. There is also the allegation of a snoop squad, allegedly set up to spy on his rivals.

And how did Ong act? He set up a three-man panel of inquiry to investigate whether a snoop squad exists or existed. When the accusers did not like the make-up of the panel, he changed it.

Gerakan's acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon is facing an even worse time, with two party stalwarts having taken up jobs with their political enemies.

Even Umno president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is not insulated from criticism and open challenges by party members, some of whom are very far down the pecking order.

Yet, neither Abdullah, Koh or Ong have given any of their detractors show-cause letters.

They are also talking about rebranding their parties.

The leaders also want to stay to right what is wrong with their parties. They believe they have a duty to do that before leaving. It is their right to believe that. It is also Samy Vellu's right to believe that.

But none has taken Samy Vellu's move to sack former Kapar division chairman Jumbo Maniam for questioning the Aimst University accounts and ask another member, a potential presidency challenger, at that, to show cause.

This smacks of continuing a feudal style of leading the party rather than rebranding.

Former vice-president Tan Sri K.S. Nijhar agrees that silencing critics is no longer a viable option.

"You cannot expect to close one chapter and hope that it would not open somewhere else as another person will bring back this issue. You have only removed the symptoms, not the disease."

Unless the MIC top leadership especially Samy Vellu is willing to take criticism in its stride, it may as well change its theme from MIC Cares to MIC Scares, as part of its rebranding exercise.

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC has set up a special committee comprising architects, lawyers and professionals to study City Hall’s draft plan for 2020.

President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said it would make recommendations to City Hall to ensure that the needs of the Indian community were addressed.

Speaking at the opening of the Federal Territory MIC delegates’ conference here yesterday, Samy Vellu said City Hall should ensure that housing developers allocated land for places of worship, including temples.

“There should also be proper infrastructure facilities to conduct rituals for the deceased in their residential areas, especially for those who live in flats,” he said.

He said City Hall should also provide hostels for students from rural areas who study in secondary schools or colleges in the city.

Samy Vellu also urged City Hall to allocate flats for the lower middle-class, rather than only to those below the poverty level.

He added that the MIC was fortunate that it had Federal Territories deputy minister Datuk M. Saravanan to ensure their requests to City Hall were addressed.

Samy Vellu said even though many squatters now enjoyed modern and comfortable housing, there were still others who lived as squatters.

“We want an undertaking that adequate housing facilities be provided in areas nearer to work as well as schools when the people migrate to the city,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bloggers have been urged to shift their focus from politics to the plight of the needy and marginalised in society.

The request was made by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who said that in doing so, bloggers could raise the level of civic consciousness in society and encourage people to volunteer to help the less fortunate.

"Bloggers should visit areas such as Lorong Haji Taib in Chow Kit to see for themselves how people there, especially the children, live," he said after officiating Rumah Sinar Salam in Lorong Haji Taib 3 here.

Zahid also called on bloggers to suggest ways to improve the area, which is still synonymous with immoral activities, as well as play a more proactive role in setting up a fund to help the underprivileged.

Established by the Federal Territory Religious Department (MAIWP), in collaboration with Yayasan Nur Salam, the shelter functions as a halfway house for single mothers, the chronically-ill and destitute children in the area.

Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (Jawi) director Datuk Che Mat Che Ali said the home also accepts the homeless, HIV sufferers, drug addicts or sex workers who want to start a new life.

Earlier, Zahid launched a programme called "Salam Hadhari" by MAIWP and Jawi, which aims to strengthen the relationship of both religious departments with city folk.

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC has called upon Barisan Nasional leaders to place the interests of the nation first and not forget that they represent all Malaysians.

Central working committee member S. Murugesan said Umno Youth's opposition to the increased quota of Public Service Department scholarships for non-Bumiputeras was a step in the wrong direction.

"While it is understandable that (Umno Youth education bureau chairman) Ahmad Ikmal Ismail has the interest of the Malay students at heart, BN leaders should not forget that we are all Malaysians."

He said Malay students did not have to worry as the government would not lower the number of Malay students offered PSD scholarships.

Murugesan said the government would merely have to increase the number of scholarships, adding that this would also be in keeping with the large number of non-Malay students who had obtained excellent results.

Yesterday, Bernama quoted MIC information chief Datuk M. Saravanan as saying the government should allocate, on an annual basis, 250 PSD scholarships for Indians.

He said out of the 900 PSD scholarships for non-Bumiputeras, Indians initially received 34, which was then increased to 70.

SUCCESSFUL Indian businessmen have been urged to help poor and deserving Indians in the country.

Makkal Osai reported yesterday that if possible, they should also help Tamil schools and Hindu temples, which faced problems in maintenance and refurbishment.

Industrialist R. Perumal made this call after attending a cultural show organised by the Indian youths of Taman Desa Ria, Sungai Way.

He said it was important for people to unite so that necessary aid could be channelled to deserving causes.

He said successful businessmen should at least allocate a small portion of their profits to help the poor, Tamil schools and also temples which needed money to organise their festivals or for renovations.

He said many Tamil schools were having problems with maintenance as they were only partly aided by the Government.

IPOH: MIC Youth wings will no longer be part of their branches as part of the rebranding of the party, said Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

He said that with the current arrangement a branch chairman would end up choosing family members to helm the respective wings.

“All this nonsense must go,” he told reporters yesterday after opening Datuk Dr S. Vasan’s orthopaedic and adult reconstruction surgery clinic at a private hospital here.

Samy Vellu said that the youth wing would be allowed to set up their own branches and have their own functions.

“This is to give them greater independence,” said the party president.

He also said that the party would go all out to attract Malaysians of Telegu, Malayalee and Sri Lankan ancestry to join the MIC.

The current number of Telegu, Malayalee and Sri Lankan members in the party was still small, he added.

“We want to harness their capabilities,” he said, adding that they would be allowed to set up their own branches.