MIC Youth will not allow Makkal Sakti, which will be launched on Oct 10, to become an alternative party to the Indian community.

MIC Youth chief T Mohan said although the party would be launched Barisan Nasional chairperson Najib Abdul Razak, the movement would not compromise if it was aimed at replacing the MIC in BN.

"(Datuk Seri) Najib, as the prime minister, has every right to launch any new party but it is not appropriate if is aimed at decimating the MIC, which had served BN for 63 years," he told a news conference today.

Makkal Sakti Malaysia is headed by RS Thenenthiran, 47, a former national coordinator of Hindraf, which had been declared an illegal organisation.

"MIC Youth will certainly protest if any new party is to replace the MIC (in BN) for whatever reasons. There will be no compromise," said Mohan.

Mohan said many new parties would emerge but they would not be able to gain the confidence of the people and the MIC's contributions would not be forgotten.

On the Bagan Pinang by-election, he said the movement would organise a telematch, a carnival and a concert in Indian majority areas, namely in the Siliau, Bradwall and Antherton estates.

After more than eight months since Kugan Ananthan breathed his last, at least one policeman is expected to be hauled to court tomorrow over the 23-year-old detainee's death.

The latest development comes 48 hours after the deceased's family and supporters failed in their bid to submit a petition to the King in protest over the snail-paced response from the authorities.

Contacted this evening, a senior police officer confirmed that a suspect would be charged tomorrow.

Although it could not be ascertained how many would face the rap, the source said: "I strongly believe that it is one person."

"We don't have the details pertaining to the case as the matter is being handled by the Attorney-General's Chambers," he added.

It is believed that the police personnel would be charged at the Petaling Jaya Magistrate's Court early in the morning.

Malaysiakini later learnt that there is a possibility the AG may defer his decision to charge the suspect tomorrow.

Concerned groups have long complained about the lack of prompt action concerning the case, which exploded into a national issue after a video recording revealed severe lacerations on the deceased's body.

Case classified as murder

Following the massive public outcry, attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail classified the case as murder.

Subsequently, 11 police personnel were reassigned to desk duties pending investigations.

Kugan died on Jan 20 at the USJ Taipan police station, five days after he was picked up in connection with a car theft case.

The deceased's family had accused the police of foul play, and a second post-mortem commissioned by them revealed that the youth was beaten, burnt and starved prior to his death.

Two days ago, some 20 people, including Kugan's family members, attempted to submit a petition to the King to call for a speedy probe into the case.

The group was led by opposition parliamentarians Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong) and S Manikavasagam (PKR-Kapar).

Gobind had demanded that the attorney-general come forward and explain why nothing had been done in the past eight months.

"The entire country cannot understand why the silence on the part of the AG, who had already classified it (Kugan's case) as a murder," he added.

The first post-mortem concluded that Kugan died due to fluid accumulation in the lungs.

Also pending in court is a suit filed by Kugan's mother against the police for seizing items from the office of Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) pathologist Dr Prashant N Sambekar who performed the second post-mortem.

KLANG: Some 2,000 supporters of former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam gathered here last night, urging him to make his political stand known.

Party central working committee member S.P. Manivasagam said in his speech that Subramaniam was still needed to bring change to the MIC.

Among those at the event were local MIC leaders, party central working committee members, former Hind­raf co-ordinator K. Vasan­thakumar and philanthropist OMS Thiagarajan.

Survey forms on the current status of the MIC among the Indian community were also distributed.

Among the questions asked were, if the MIC was still relevant and if Indians had voted for the opposition in the last general election because they were disillusioned with the party.

In his speech, Manivasagam said Subramaniam was inducted into the party in the 1970s by the then party president V. Manikavasagam to bring change to the MIC with the inclusion of young professionals.

Subramaniam was not at the event.

A political wedlock that has spanned for more than five decades is now at the brink of a divorce. More than a year ago, the very mention of this would have been dismissed to the bins of preposterousness.

But the March 8 general election last year had tipped the scales for Barisan Nasional and the nightmare of losing power grows more dreadful with each sunset.

The ruling coalition, especially Umno, appears to be desperate.

According to observers, the denial syndrome is waning and the reality on the ground has left its leaders terrified of what the future might hold.

As the clock ticks down for the next general election, Umno is said to be looking for a 'quick-fix' solution even if this means burning bridges with its partners.

And MIC insiders believe that Umno has hatched a conspiracy against their party and its president S Samy Vellu, one that has been in the making even before the last general election.

According to them, Umno employed the antiquated strategy - the enemy of my enemy is my friend - to ensure that the MIC president was defeated in the polls.

"This was proven when a local Indian businessmen aligned to a former top MIC leader admitted that he and a former Umno minister conspired to ensure the defeat," they said, without naming those involved.

Back then, it was said that Umno wanted to seize control of the powerful Works Ministry and to do so, Samy Vellu had to be ousted.

True enough, in the post-March 8 cabinet, MIC was given the more junior human resources portfolio much to the chagrin of the president.

Severe repercussions

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the insiders alleged that the 'conspiracy' has now moved into high gear.

However, they warned that it could lead to severe repercussions, including the possibility of MIC leaving BN to operate independently or even joining forces with Pakatan Rakyat.

They also claimed that Umno was attempting to "split and confuse" the Indian community by approving and associating itself with many Indian-based parties.

This was in reference to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's open support for the Makkal Sakthi Party, which he is scheduled to launch on Oct 10.

"This is the divide and rule policy of the British that Umno has used since independence," said the insiders.

Another strategy was to use the mainstream media, especially the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia and Tamil papers aligned to Umno, to tarnish MIC's image.

These media outfits are given the task of continuously publishing or airing negative stories regarding MIC and its president, said the insiders.

Stage three of the conspiracy was to paint Samy Vellu as the chief culprit for all the shortcomings related to the Indian community.

"They shift the blame to the MIC leadership for the government's failure to look after the Indian community by constantly saying that Samy Vellu did nothing for the Indians and he is to be blamed solely," alleged the insiders.

'Spreading hate messages'


The party insiders claimed that Umno was also "spreading hate messages through the media and public speeches" in order to achieve its aim.

As an example, they cited Najib's opening speech at the recently concluded MIC general assembly where the premier openly called on party delegates to back change.

"However, this approach backfired similar to the one by (former premier and Umno president) Dr Mahathir Mohamad on the eve of the MIC elections on Sept 12," they said.

The insiders also accused Umno of "colluding with a certain former MIC top leader to popularise him through the media in an attempt to take control of MIC."

This was an obvious referrence to defeated deputy presidential candidate and Samy Vellu's political nemesis S Subramaniam.

The insiders stated that Umno leaders found it hard to digest Samy Vellu's "outspokenness and direct confrontation against Umno" and therefore were attempting to weaken his grip on MIC.

"This move was intensified after they realised that Samy Vellu still had a strong command in MIC when the majority of his team won in the party elections," they said.

In view of this, the insiders said the powers-that-be want to ensure that the president exits the party as soon as possible and be replaced with a leader who would "kow-tow" to Umno.

A group of disgruntled candidates in the Sept 12 MIC party election have today pressed for fresh polls to be held as there were allegedly irregularities during the contest.

They have formed a committee comprising P Subramaniam, who contested the vice-president's post, and six central working committee (CWC) candidates.

The Pro-Tem MIC 2009 Election Irregularity Committee secretary, N Saaran, said he had raised several issues in a letter of complaint sent to the chairman of the MIC election committee, K Vijayanathan, including the abuse of power by MIC president S Samy Vellu when the election was going on.

"We have come to (the) conclusion that the election committee that conducted the MIC general election was not independent, was not transparent. There were various irregularities that we have gathered.

"We actually sent notices to the election committee chairman, we had requested for explanation why such irregularities had taken place," he told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

Also present at the press conference were members of the pro-tem committee, including its chairman Subramaniam who lost in the election for the VP post.

Saaran claimed that the irregularities discovered at the election included Samy Vellu's cancellation of the ban on the use of handphones whereas Vijayanathan had issued a reminder to all delegates before the balloting.

“One of the delegates was caught using the handphone to take a photograph of the ballot paper, this was brought up by one of the candidates to the election committee, however no action had been taken," he claimed.

Campaigning continue during cooling period

Subramaniam said other complaints raised with the MIC election committee chief in four letters sent on Sept 18, 23 and 25 were the actions of the candidates endorsed by Samy Vellu who had violated the rules against campaigning.

"Candidates were prohibited to campaign after 12 noon on Sept 11, but this rule was not followed by this so-called official line-up, there were campaigns after 12pm where there were campaigning in Sentul Curry House by the Youth, Wanita and Puteri MIC wings," he claimed.

"And not only that, on the election day, copies of pro-Samy Vellu Tamil Nesan, were distributed to all 1,400 delegates in the hall. In the paper, you could see a lot of campaigning by the official line-up, which was against the rule on campaigning," he said.

Subramaniam questioned why no action was taken whereas the MIC election committee chairman had earlier issued a warning that any candidate caught campaigning after the time stipulated would automatically be disqualified from contesting.

He said his group was waiting for an explanation from Vijayanathan before taking further action.

Asked what action they would take if there was no change in the decision, he said they would then decide whether to remain in the MIC or join another party.

Complaints brought to the CWC

K Saraswathy, who is a lawyer representing the pro-tem committee, said that while the MIC constitution permits members to take their grouses to the courts, the Societies Act would not allow it.

“According to Section 91 of the MIC constitution, an issue can be brought to court after it has been discussed by the CWC,” she said.

However, she argued that some members of the CWC were not legitimate as they were candidates who had allegedly breached the election rules.

In an immediate response, Vijayanathan said that his election committee did not have the powers to act but added that the complaints could be forwarded to the CWC.

- Bernama

MIC deputy president G Palanivel has thrown the ball back to party chief S Samy Vellu on when the long-serving MIC president will vacate the post.

"Many questions and pressures have been exerted on the transition of power in MIC. I have been working closely together with Samy Vellu for many years now," he wrote on his blog today.

"He has been preparing me for the top post for many years. In fact, during several campaign meetings he declared that I have experience, maturity and the capability to take over from him and lead the party," said Palanivel who retained his post at the recent MIC elections.

Since the polls, there has been no let up over how long Samy Vellu intends to stay after being returned unopposed for an 11th term.

It heightened further over the weekend with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak saying that he would discuss a succession plan with Samy Vellu.

The outspoken MIC leader, who has been at the helm of MIC since 1981, said he was prepared to hand over the leadership of the party if Palanivel was ready.

'He must have a good plan'
"I'm certain he must have a good plan in his mind, especially after having supported me as the deputy presidential candidate for the second time in the Sept 12 elections. He will know when will be the best moment to hand over the reins," Palanivel said.

A former journalist who became Samy Vellu's press secretary before entering politics, Palanivel praised the MIC leader as "an iconic leader in Malaysian history" who had led the Indian community through some trying times.

"A lesser man would have perished long ago," he said.

Palanivel was confident that members would continue to support him after the crucial party elections in which an overwhelming majority of candidates backed by Samy Vellu won.

"The new leadership is made up of many new faces and the delegates have voted smartly by bringing in change where they saw fit. It is a good mix of experience and young blood," he added.

- Bernama

Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Front) in New York has come forward over the Aidil Fitri festive cheer period to welcome Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's pledge on Tanjung Tokong in Penang which is being touted as having heritage village status.

But the opposition leader should also be taken to task for his "chameleon-like stance" on the tragedy which befell Kampung Buah Pala in recent days, says the human and equal rights movement which groups together 30 Indian-based NGOs in Malaysia.

Anwar has long been accused by the ruling Barisan Nasional, Umno in particular, of being a political chameleon.

"Why is that the state government suddenly seems to have power to resolve the issue of Tanjung Tokong but not Kampung Buah Pala?" asks Hindraf's International Coordinator, R Shan, in an exclusive email to Malaysiakini from the Big Apple.

"Anwar has been silent on the issue of Kampung Buah Pala. He failed to take a stand on behalf of the residents there."

Shan noted that Anwar had rightly stressed that land is a state matter and urged the residents and UDA (Urban Development Authority) to meet and discuss to settle amicably the issues of compensation, resettlement and preservation of the heritage value of Tanjung Tokong.

"In the case of Kampung Buah Pala, this approach was not taken and in fact brute force was employed," alleged Shan.

"The state government seemed to be powerless in the face of the developer, the police and the court. All it could do was to keep putting all the blame on the previous Gerakan-led state government while challenging the MIC."

Spin story goes out of control

"The Penang Deputy Chief Minister 2, P Ramasamy, even led a group to Kuala Lumpur to demonstrate in front of the MIC Headquarters just to side-track from the Kampung Buah Pala issue."

Hindraf pledged that it would hold a watching brief on Tanjung Tokong to see whether the residents there are bound by the dangerous precedent set by the Kampung Buah Pala fiasco.

And if not, it wants to know why double standards are being practiced?

However, it stressed at the same time that it did not want to see the people of Tanjung Tokong being taken for a ride by the state government as in the case of Kampung Buah Pala.

That Hindraf statement says that although the sale of the land in Kampung Buah Pala was initiated by the previous government in Penang, the Pakatan Rakyat government could have stopped the process at any time.

Instead, it continued to point fingers at the previous government at every step of the way as it spun the story out of control, Hindraf said.

Even the threat to cancel the approvals for the proposed condominium project did not materialise and in the end proved to be "a lot of hot air".

The movement also wants "the real history of Kampung Buah Pala", to be a matter of public record and "that there is a moral dimension to the sorry episode."

The fact remains, according to the movement, that the original British family which owned the land had decreed that it be held in trust by the government for its inhabitants and their descendents.

This, the government failed to do, and instead claimed it was state land and subsequently proceeded to sell it.

'Tantamount to theft'

In effect, it was tantamount to theft of the people's land, said Hindraf.

"The people fought bravely to save Kampung Buah Pala but their cause was hopeless after the state government declared that the condominium project could attract tourists," said Hindraf.

"How could an ugly project like a condominium attract tourists? As if tourists have never seen a condominium before and are coming all the way to Penang to gawk at the condominium on the Kampung Buah Pala land?"

In view of Tanjung Tokong, the Hindraf chief in New York wants Anwar to explain himself once and for all on the matter of Kampung Buah Pala and does not consider it a closed chapter.

Secondly, he wants him to give a categorical assurance that the Indian community matters to the Pakatan Rakyat and not just their votes during election time.

And finally, Hindraf wants to know how Pakatan Rakyat will redeem itself in the eyes of the Indian voters with Kampung Buah Pala hanging over its head.

"Anwar should bear in mind that thousands of Indians and other Malaysians risked their lives and poured onto the streets of Kuala Lumpur in late 2007 to press for their just and legitimate aspirations," said Shan.

"We urged the Indian electorate and all Malaysians to support Pakatan Rakyat last year when the Opposition Alliance solemnly promised that it would struggle for all Malaysians."

Hindraf report on Buah Pala

It now looks like that Anwar and Pakatan merely rode into public office on the makkal sakthi (people power) wave unleashed by Hindraf, according to Shan, "and had no intentions to consider the legitimate aspirations of the Indian community or others except themselves".

Hindraf, although never registered, was outlawed by the Malaysian government reportedly after a newspaper in Singapore claimed, without citing any evidence, that it had links with the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam.

Four Hindraf lawyers and a co-coordinator were also held under the Internal Security Act, allegedly as a result of the Singapore report, and released recently after several years in detention without trial.

Hindraf is now based in London and also has offices in India, Australia and New York, among other places.

Its main work is to release the Malaysian Indian Human Rights Annual Report every year. Kampung Buah Pala is expected to feature prominently in this year's report.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will meet S Samy Vellu to discuss the succession plan of the MIC president who has been helming the party since 1981.

Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional chief, said Samy Vellu had indeed, met him prior to the MIC election in June, in Kuching this year to discuss the leadership change plan.

"At that time, he told me that he could not step down and if he did, then it would destablise the party. But that was before the party election.

"But now after the election, I will discuss with him again but this should not be seen as BN's interference in the internal affairs of the MIC," he said.

The MIC held its party polls last week to pick a deputy president, three vice-presidents and 23 central working committee members. Samy Vellu won the party presidency for a record 11th consecutive term in March this year.

'We want Indian community's support'

Earlier this week, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad described Samy Vellu as a liability for the BN, in the ruling coalition's effort to win back the support of the Malaysian Indian community.

To this, the MIC president had said that Mahathir should not issue statements about the party leadership and that he had discussed with Najib on the party's succession plan in June, this year.

"I have to discuss with him (Samy Vellu) again on the matter. We, in the BN, want the support of the Indian community.

"But at the same time, we should not be seen as meddling in the affairs of the MIC. We want MIC to win back the support of the community," said Najib.

The prime minister said he would discuss the appropriate steps to be taken by the MIC chief on the matter.

However, he declined to reveal what was discussed between him and Samy Vellu during their meeting in June, saying that it was a private discussion.

Newly minted MIC vice-president SK Devamany has taken the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia daily to task for publishing an 'erroneous' report.

He has demanded that the Malay daily apologise to him, MIC president S Samy Vellu and MIC members over the report today which quoted Devamany as criticising the party leadership.

"I also want Utusan to retract the report and make the apology in its front page, failing which I will institute legal proceedings against the newspaper," he said in a statement.

The Cameron Highlands MP said it was highly irresponsible for the newspaper to publish "something out of thin air."

Utusan had quoted the deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department as saying that Samy Vellu must relinquish his post as MIC president.

Utusan's motive questioned
Devamany said he has already spoken to his lawyer and Samy Vellu about the matter.

"How can they report something like that when I never even spoke to any Utusan reporter yesterday about my president and my party," he said.

Devamany questioned Utusan's motives in publishing the report which he said was aimed at discrediting Samy Vellu and MIC.

He said Samy Vellu has received the mandate of the MIC members to continue as the party president and all parties should respect it.

"I support my president and he will lead the party for as long as the (MIC) members want him to lead," he said.

Samy Vellu, who was recently returned as president for a record 11th term, is coming under tremendous pressure to vacate his post.

Last week, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also urged him to step down, after describing him as a liability to Barisan Nasional.

Voices of dissent reverberated through Dewan Merdeka in the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur as MIC delegates took to the microphone to air their views.

One delegate slammed the Barisan Nasional government for playing a double game by causing fissures in the Indian community and working against MIC.

"This government wants Indian support but at the same time works on splitting Indians," stressed S Pulikesi from Batu Gajah, Perak.


"If these Indians (outside of MIC) claim that (MIC) leaders didn't do anything, then they should join MIC and change the community," he said.

Earlier, MIC president S Samy Vellu urged the delegates not to train their guns on former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

His call came after Ampang MIC delegate M Muniandy criticised Mahathir for his caustic remarks against Samy Vellu.

"We clapped and welcomed Mahathir whenever he attended MIC meetings. Our president also praised him. Yet now, he (Mahathir) accuses Samy Vellu of not doing anything.

"If we accept that Samy Vellu didn't do anything for the Indians, then what have you (Mahathir) done for the Indians in the 22 years (that he was premier)? Have you fulfilled all of our requests?" he asked.

'He's still a great statesman'

At this juncture, Samy Vellu interrupted the delegate and advised him against raising the subject.


"He is still a great statesman who led this nation," he defended Mahathir.

Fireworks between Mahathir and Samy Vellu erupted recently when the former was quoted in a Tamil daily as saying that the Indian community had voted for the opposition because they were angry with the MIC president.

He also accused Samy Vellu of being a despotic leader who never groomed a replacement or allowed others to grow in the party.

The MIC president then retaliated by calling Mahathir the master of 'destroying deputies'.


'Slap those who question us'

Criticising the intervention of external forces, a delegate from Johor said BN component parties must refrain from meddling in MIC's affairs.

"All of us are doing work on the ground and we have been campaigning more than MCA and Umno," said T Nadesan from Pasir Gudang.

"We are a big party but we still have to beg from Umno for allocations," he added.

Since the March 8 general election, speculations are rife that Umno is unhappy with Samy Vellu's continued presence at the helm of MIC.

During his opening speech at the MIC annual general assembly yesterday, Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak took a swipe at Samy Vellu when he said that leaders should be popular in their respective communities and not just their parties.


Observers saw this as an indirect call on delegates to cast their vote for S Subramaniam who was challenging the president's choice G Palanivel in a three-cornered fight for the number two post.

A day before the MIC elections, the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia ran a front-page report quoting political analysts stating that Samy Vellu should step down.

Despite this, Palanivel emerged victorious while the president's men almost made a clean sweep of all the other posts up for grabs.

Shah Alam delegate S Vickneswari praised Samy Vellu for his leadership, saying that Indians would still be tapping rubber trees in the estates if not for him.

"If our children question what MIC has done for the community, we should give them a tight slap and enlighten them," she said.

As for party members, she stressed: "If we question MIC, we are questioning ourselves."

MIC president S Samy Vellu today came under criticism from several delegates who debated on the presidential speech, during the second day of the party's annual general meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre.

A delegate from Selangor said the party president had sent a birthday card to a branch leader who had already died about four years ago.


The delegate said the wife of the deceased had approached him expressing regret that Samy Vellu had sent such a card and asked that the party president not to do such things in the future.

Another delegate from Kubang Pasu, Kedah said that it took nine years for the Indian community there to buy a piece of land to build a Tamil school and had approached Samy Vellu for financial assistance to build it.

However, he said that despite sending letters and meeting Samy Vellu three times, nothing positive had come from Samy Vellu so far.

Another Kedah delegate pointed out that the rootcauses of the Kampung Buah Pala problem in Penang was due to the "failure" of the MIC leadership to address the issue from beginning.

This prompted Samy Vellu to challenge the delegate to prove his allegations, saying that he (Samy Vellu) was willing to resign from party post if the delegate could prove them.

Another delegate said that while the influenza A(HINI) pandemic was new - affecting the country for the past several months, neverthless, he said it had "affected" MIC since March 8 2008, when the party went through the most humiliating defeat in its 63 history.

'Keep you thought to yourself Dr M'

Meanwhile, despite Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's strong denial that he had interfered in the affairs of MIC, he too came under fire from several delegates.

"No need for advice" said one delegate from Negeri Sembilan and another had this to say: "Please mind your own business. We know what we are doing".


A woman delegate asked the party to come out with a new design for their uniform for official use during party function, as they had been using the current outdated design for the past 10 years, and Samy Vellu said that a new design was in the planning.

A delegate from the Klang Valley said that the government should come out with financial assistance to help the Indian community to buy unit trust shares offered by the government.

Several delegates also reminded the new team which won yesterday's party election to go to the ground and strengthen the party at all levels, and respect the grassroots in order to bring back support from the Indian community.

Permanent Chairman G Vadiveloo also had a "rough day" as he had to keep reminding delegates to concentrate on the debate and not on reading newspapers inside the hall.

Eight resolutions passed

Meanwhile the general assembly today among others proposed that the government allocate loans through agencies or financial agencies to the Indian community to enable its members to purchase shares issued by the government.

Such a step would supplement the government's step to allocate 499 units of Amanah Saham Malaysia shares for the community and it was one of eight resolutions passed by the party here today that covered issues of education, politics, the economy and social matters.

On the issue of education, the MIC wants the government to prepare pre-school education opportunities for 80 per cent of Tamil schools as opposed to the 17.5 per cent now.

Also the MIC wants the Education Ministry to increase the limit of subjects for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination from 10 to 11 so that science stream SPM candidates can sit for the Tamil language and Tamil literature papers.

The party also welcomed the '1Malaysia: People First, Performance Now' concept as well as the liberal policy of Najib.

- Bernama

As the date for the MIC elections drew closer, party president S Samy Vellu looked fatigued. His trademark air of confidence was replaced by a sense of gloom.

The pressure was mounting and calls for change were growing louder. The 73-year-old politician must have felt that the walls were closing in fast on his three-decade-long grip on the party.

His nemesis S Subramaniam appeared poised for a victory in the contest for number two and this was a possibility that Samy Vellu wanted to prevent at any cost.


Compounding his woes, even the prime minister had suggested during his opening speech at the MIC AGM that the time had come to replace the old order. A day earlier the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia daily's headline screamed 'Samy must go'.

Determined to drive home a point, Samy Vellu was said to have even sought divine intervention by invoking the armies of Hanuman (monkey god) to help him fight this crucial battle.

While critics claim that MIC and its president were no longer relevant, the majority of the party's delegates however sent a strong message that Samy Vellu was still an indispensable force as far as they were concerned.

Heeding his call to vote in the presidential line-up, the delegates saw to it that Samy Vellu's men made an almost clean sweep at the polls amid cries of foul play and money politics.

Umno and the prime minister too must accept the outcome but speculations were rife that a new party was in the making and would be helmed by Subramaniam, who lost by a thin majority to the president's choice and incumbent G Palanivel.

Coaxing an angry wife
Regardless of what the future might hold, Samy Vellu was obviously re-energized by his team's victory and once again roared from the rostrum.


In his closing speech, the MIC president touched on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's statement that one must be popular in the community and not only in his party.

With a sprinkle of sarcasm, he suggested that the premier got the formula wrong.

"You must be a leader first then only can you be popular. Then you spread your popularity to the people," he said, adding that MIC had played its role in working for the community.

He also stressed that it would take time for the party to recover from their poor showing in last year's general election.

The jubilant politician pledged that his new team would work hard to assure that Indian votes return to the ruling coalition.

Samy Vellu, who is known for his oddball anecdotes, explained that the task was similar to coaxing an angry wife who had returned to her father's house after a domestic tiff.

"It would take time for us to regain the support. If your wife returns to your father-in-law's house, she would not immediately come back when you call her.

"You would have to buy ornaments for her, speak to your in-laws and gradually she would return," he said.

Samy Vellu said Palanivel's first task after being re-elected would be to spearhead the MIC campaign for the upcoming Bagan Pinang by-election in Negeri Sembilan to rope in the votes.

"We would go from house to house to regain Indian votes. It would also be an opportunity to see who works harder for the party," he added.

Subramaniam gets a lashing

The president also set aside a few minutes to take several swipes at Subramaniam.


Among others, he said: "For 25 years (as his deputy), Subramaniam could not work with me while Palanivel in three years (since he was elected in 2006) could."

The president also dismissed Tamil daily Makkal Osai - which is linked to his adversary - as being a "rubbish" publication that churned out unfounded allegations.

Despite observers arguing to the contrary and statistics pointing in that direction, Samy Vellu however did not believe that the Indian community had totally deserted MIC.

"Did the Indians really leave us? 600,000 are MIC members, 400,000 are outside. The rest are children," he said.

However, the president steered clear of his verbal war between him and his one-time mentor Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

With less than 48 hours to go before the MIC elections, deputy presidential hopeful S Subramaniam has pulled a rabbit out of the hat.

And this is no ordinary rabbit, it is the influential former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

On the front-page of Makkal Osai, a Tamil daily linked to Subramaniam, Mahathir was quoted as praising Subramaniam while attacking his ardent loyalist and MIC president S Samy Vellu.

Among others, he said the Indian community voted for the opposition in the last general election because of their anger towards Samy Vellu.

"He has been too long in the party and had never allowed any leader to grow in the party.

"He was always concentrating on exacting revenge on his political opponents," said Mahathir, who himself was accused of the same things during his 22-year tenure.

"If the Indian community wants to progress and go forward they should remove Samy Vellu," he added.

It is learnt that the interview was done about a month ago and while Mahathir spoke on numerous issues pertaining to the Indian community, the daily had kept the 'explosive parts' till now.

It is also learnt that the report had set off alarm bells in the MIC president's camp.

The report comes a day after Samy Vellu told Malaysiakini that outside forces including Umno should not interfere in MIC's affairs.

Samy Vellu: I feel sad and angry

In a statement later, the president questioned his former deputy Subramaniam's motives in seeking the help of other political party leaders to campaign for him.

He said Subramaniam has brought disgrace to the MIC by seeking the help of Mahathir who is also a former Umno president.

Describing the move as "deliberately bringing in outside interference", Samy Vellu said many MIC branch and division leaders and members called him expressing their disgust and anger at Subramaniam's "desperate attempt" to win.

"How cheap and desperate can a man be?" he asked.

"Subramaniam is so desperate that he had to seek the mandate from Mahathir to win in the party elections. He has brought shame to the MIC members and the party," he added.

From the president's viewpoint, Subramaniam appears to have lost his support in MIC and has to seek outside help.

He said by seeking the help of people outside MIC, Subramaniam has lost whatever credibility that was left in him.

"I am extremely angry and sad that he (Subramaniam) has allowed an outsider to meddle in our party affairs, especially in a crucial election for the MIC," he added.

Mahathir preached non-interference

Samy Vellu said even Mahathir had said that Barisan Nasional cannot interfere in the internal affairs of a component party when he referred to the problems in MCA.

"We are not even in any problems for outsiders to get involved. We are just having our elections through the democratic process to allow our delegates to pick their leaders," he said.

Samy Vellu said he was sad that Subramaniam and his cronies have made use of Mahathir for their own self-interest.

"I urge MIC delegates to vehemently condemn the actions by Subramaniam and his supporters in getting an outsider involved in our party matters.

"If we allow this to happen, in future, outsiders will continue to interfere in our affairs and we will lose our dignity and respect," he said.

He said MIC has resolved whatever problems through internal process as one family.

"We should not take our problems to an outsider because it is the same as betraying the MIC.

"What Subramanim did can never be accepted and I can only feel pity for him to seek the help of others outside the party and not rely on MIC delegates to make their choice," he added.

S'gor MIC: Take action against him

Mahathir's endorsement also drew flak from the MIC Selangor state liaison headed by incumbent deputy president G Palanivel.

In a statement, the committee lambasted Subramaniam for seeking the help of a leader from another political party.

"We demand Subramaniam to give an immediate clarification to the MIC members and delegates as to why he went against the principles adhered by all BN component parties which is not to interfere in the internal affairs of another component party.

"Subramaniam has disgraced our party and we want the MIC leadership to take action against him for tarnishing the image of MIC," read the two-page statement.

The committee - which held a press conference this afternoon - also claimed that the "so-called interview" with Mahathir was arranged by a person with ill-feelings towards the MIC president.

"We were informed that the meeting was not an interview but a courtesy call by that person and he brought the editor of Makkal Osai with him," it added.

Beginning today Jalan Berhala in the Brickfields area in Kuala Lumpur will be known as Jalan K Ramanathan Chettiar and a part of it as Jalan MG Pandithan, said Federal Territories Deputy Minister M Saravanan.

He said the names were taken after the third MIC president K Ramanathan Chettiar and former IPF president Pandithan.

"After Jalan Brickfields was changed to Jalan Tun Sambanthan, after the fifth MIC president, 27 years ago now Jalan Berhala's name is being changed," Saravanan said at a news conference today.

He said the name change was made with the agreement of Kuala Lumpur City Hall and was part of efforts to make the area as 'Little India'.

Meanwhile, Saravanan who is also the MIC information chief, called on certain quarters not to be involved in the leadership of the party as members were mature enough to make decisions.

He was responding to media reports today that 12 leaders of non-governmental organisations and various strata of the Indian community urging MIC president S Samy Vellu to make changes in the leadership to restore the party's stature in the
Barisan Nasional.

A representative of the group, T Vyran Raj, said feedback from the Indian community throughout the country mostly revealed that change in the MIC can only come about after Samy Vellu and leaders aligned to him withdrew.

- Bernama

Maika Holding CEO S Vell Paari today refuted reports published in an online news portal and a Tamil daily that he had made huge financial gains as a result of getting a contract from MIC-run AIMST University.

He said that it was "a blatant lie to suggest that my father (MIC president S Samy Vellu) and I had siphoned out millions of ringgit out of AIMST University".


He clarified that the contract which was referred to in the media reports were awarded to Maika Holdings subsidiary Maika Intellectual Resources Sdn Bhd (MIR) and not to him personally.

Vell Paari, who is also a director in MIR, added that the subsidiary company won a RM40 million ICT project in December 2002 for the university.

The contract was approved by MIC's educational arm Maju Institute of Educational Development headed by Samy Vellu.

"As MIR's proposal was the most attractive, the ICT contract for Aimst University was awarded to MIR.

"MIR in turn like any other main contractor invited various subcontractors to bid and accepted the bid by Doxport Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd for RM36 million," he said today.

He added that by sub-contracting the project, MIR made a 10 percent profit margin.

"I must stress that the contract was never awarded to me but to a subsidiary of Maika.

"Is it wrong of me to get business for Maika Holdings? In any business a 10 percent profit margin is a minimum market norm," he added.

All papers are in order

He further said that at the beginning of 2004, project managers of AIMST University were unhappy with the progress of the ICT works by Doxport and had recommended to MIED to replace Doxport.

As a result, he added that MIR abided by the project managers recommendation and terminated Doxport and carried out the job by itself directly.

"At the same time, MIR also gave approval to MIED to make direct payment to its sub-contractors so as to progress the job faster.

"Only the profit portion was paid directly to MIR. So, there was transparency and all our payments were certified by the quantity surveyors, project managers and independent engineers of MIED's bankers," he added.

He added that the then CEO of MIED Chitrakala Vasu was aware of all the documents pertaining to the projects and costs involved.

"All the documents were given to her by the senior management of MIR for her scrutiny and knowledge. This was done so that MIR or MIED in the future would not be accused of any improper and unprofessional conduct," he added.

He also said that all pertinent documents relating to the MIR contract have also been handed to the Anti-Corruption Agency (now MACC) and the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Department due to the various reports made by various parties.

"So, if I had done anything criminal in nature, I am sure they would have picked it up in the course of their investigation," he added.

Will not take court injunction

Vell Paari was responding to an article published in Malaysia Today on Monday and picked up by Makkal Osai today regarding claims that he had personally benefitted from the contract awarded to MIR by his father through MIED.

He added articles appearing in Malaysia Today were always based on hearsays and was irritated when Makkal Osai picked it up with pure political motivation.

"Makkal Osai just wanted to sway votes by using deceits for the coming party polls this Saturday for their leader," he said.

He however said that he will not be seeking a court injunction stop Makkal Osai or any other publications from publishing malicious lies about him.

"I will not resort to gag orders which would effectively detract from my personal view that the public is entitled to both sides of the story and let the public decide," he said.

Vell Paari has been under continuous attacks from his detractors over the failures of Maika Holdings. Recently he has been slapped with an injunction by former deputy president S Subramaniam to stop him from blaming Subramaniam for Maika's failures in paying off its investors.

Subramaniam, who is Samy Vellu's nemesis, is contesting for the deputy president's post which is currently held by president's man G Palanivel.

Bagan Pinang by-election could well be the turning point for the future direction of Indian voters in the country's electoral process.

The electoral stand to be taken by the Human Rights Party and Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) this weekend is set to have a major impact on it.

The community balloting preference and both the Indian based movements' joint stand are set to be a major determining factor on the outcome of the contest, which could see another Umno versus PAS electoral bout.

Supporters of both inter-linked movements would meet this weekend at an undisclosed venue to decide on their official stand on the Bagan Pinang by-election.

Based on the current political scenario, it would not be surprising if supporters of both movements decide not to support any of the contesting parties.

No plans to field a candidate

They may decide to campaign for Bagan Pinang Indian voters to abstain from voting.

Recently formed HRP does not plan to field any candidate to contest as an independent in the forthcoming Bagan Pinang state by-election in Negeri Sembilan.

Although Indians voters encompassed 20.4 per cent of the constituency's 14,192 voters, HRP secretary-general P Uthayakumar (left) said it would not be ideal for the party to contest the election.

The constituency's Malay voters make up 64 %; Chinese, 10.8 % and others, 4.9 %. There are 5,000 postal votes.

"We are still at the organisational stage . . . in the structural and operations of the party.

"We are not ready yet to contest," Uthayakumar, who is also Hindraf legal advisor, told Malaysiakini today.

However, this may not be a reprieve to both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat after all.

Indians taken for a ride

Based on his own observations and undercurrent sentiments, Uthayakumar said Indians were caught in between two feuding political blocks striving for power.

He said both blocks were using Indians 'for a mere piggy ride' to win electoral battles, neglecting them after that.

"BN rule for the past 52 years and PR governments in Kedah, Selangor and Penang over the past 17 months showed no difference in the style of governance.

"Both governments treat Indians the same because they believe Indian votes were insignificant.

"Both BN and PR ignore and neglect Indians due the community's lack of political power," stressed the human rights activist.

In the country's 12th general election in March last year, Hindraf had called on and campaigned for Indians to vote for the opposition parties of PKR, PAS and DAP.

The perceived marginalisation of Indians for five decades in the country was the single major communal-based issue in the last general election.

As a result the majority of Indians, who were traditionally BN loyalists, voted for the opposition pack.

However, since then, Indian grassroots sentiments were slowly and surely turning away from Pakatan and taking a middle path as most of them are reluctant to go back to BN, which they perceived as the 'greater evil.'

This weekend, top brass and grassroots leadersv and main HRP and Hindraf activists are expected to deliberate and pass resolutions on the performance of both the Pakatan and Barisan governments.

Contentious issues such as Penang's Kampung Buah Pala crisis and Selangor's Shah Alam temple relocation and cow head protest controversy are expected to dominate the proceedings.

The activists would also touch on the threat of continued demolition of Hindu temples and crematoriums, and the deplorable conditions of Tamil schools, even in Pakatan-controlled states.

Prefer to work with Pakatan

HRP and Hindraf leaders prefer to work with Pakatan, especially PKR and PAS, as opposed to working with BN.

Thus, their decisions would affect Pakatan more than BN.

"Both BN and Pakatan states can gazette the temple, crematorium and Tamil schools as state lands.

"But both didn't because Indians were politically insignificant for both," said Uthayakumar.

The by-election is being held following the death of BN's state representative Azman Mohd Noor, on Sept 4.

Azman's passing paves the way for the ninth by-election since the 2008 general election.

In the last general election, Azman polled 6,430 votes to defeat PAS candidate Ramli Ismail, with a majority of 2,333 votes.

Bagan Pinang is one of the five state seats under the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat, currently held by PKR's Kamarul Baharin Abbas.

The Election Commission will meet on Monday, Sept 14, to fix the nomination and polling dates for Bagan Pinang.

Emails are already circulating widely online calling on Bagan Pinang Indians to abstain from voting.

While the portal postings condemned Umno for its continued racial antics, the writers of these postings also expressed their reservations on the performance of the Pakatan state governments, especially in the handling of the Kampung Buah Pala (also known as Tamil High Chaparral) crisis in Penang.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and DAP's government Indian leaders were all at the receiving end of their brick bats.

PKR parliamentarians and assembly persons were also dismissed for not helping the community.

PAS elected representatives were also not spared from their criticisms.

"Tell me an incident where a PAS leader stopped a temple demolition.

"Pakatan parliamentarians have yet to voice out any issues affecting Indians neither have they sought permanent solutions in Pakatan states to resolve Indian problems," said Uthayakumar.

The portal postings also highlighted that while Pakatan governments in Selangor and, previously then in Perak, allocated lands for the Chinese community, none was set aside for Indians.

Indian votes come with a price

One particular writer, Subramaniam Bharathy, called on Indians to hit both BN and PR where it hurts most - the ballot box.

He said the country needed a holistic approach to tackle Indian issues such as the bread and butter issues, crime rates, suicide rates, alcoholism and drug abuse and unemployment.

"But both BN and PR governments are not doing anything to seriously tackle these issues raised before them in a holistic way".

"Indians in Bagan Pinang must vote wisely to get both BN and PR to reckon Indians were significant political calculations," said the writer.

Although the by-election would not make any drastic changes to the state political landscape, he stressed that at least a political point be made that "Indian votes come with a price".

"Indian voters shall abstain from voting this time," he said in widely circulated online posting.

BN controlled Negeri Sembilan state assembly with 20 out of 36 state seats, while Pakatan has the remaining 15, which includes DAP 10, PKR 4 and PAS one.

MIC aims to deliver all the Indian votes to BN to ensure victory for BN and break the eight straight by-election defeats suffered previously at the hands of Pakatan in Peninsular.

But HRP and Hindraf are set to have a final say on which direction Indian voters would swing to this time.

IPOH: Makkal Sakthi (People Power), which was instrumental in turning the tide against Barisan Nasional in Perak in last year's elections, has suddenly come out in support of the BN state government.

They want Pakatan Rakyat to immediately halt their actions which, they say, had disrupted the peace and harmony among the people and to let them continue with their lives.

Spokesman S. Mahindran, 46, said the opposition had "forgotten Makkal Sakthi" and did not fulfil the pledges to the Indian community.

"It is the BN state government under Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir who is helping us now and providing us with opportunities," Mahindran said at the menteri besar's office here yesterday along with 30 other supporters.


Mahindran said the body had also supported BN's action to block the opposition when it tried to hold a state assembly sitting on Sept 2.

"We were not paid to do so. We did it freely. The report on a blog which said we were paid between RM10 and RM50 and provided with T-shirts to show our support to BN is untrue.

"We are businessmen and we pay our workers RM70 a day."

A supporter, N. Ramu, 37, said Makkal Sakthi, which has more than 30,000 BN supporters in Perak, was expected to be registered as a political party next month.

Shah Bandar MIC division chief KP Samy, who is contesting a CWC post, called on the party's election committee to investigate claims that RM300 have been offered to delegates in return for their votes.

Samy (below) said leaders aspiring for party posts and who are embroiled in money-politics should withdraw from the party polls this weekend.


The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) has instructed its branch in Malacca to investigate the bribery allegations made by a delegate.

The delegate claimed that aside from the cash, a CD containing a message from the candidate canvassing for votes is also being distributed.

The MACC did not divulge the name of the candidate who is being investigated, but Samy believes that he is a senior party official.

"We are shocked... the candidate should withdraw from the contest before the election because if it is proven that has given out cash for votes, he will be disqualified anyway," said Samy.

Character assassination

Samy, an ally of former deputy president S Subramaniam who is vying for the post once more, called on party president S Samy Vellu to refrain from further disparaging Subramaniam.

Samy Vellu had said Subramaniam had done very little to uplift the Indian community and was not qualified run for the post.


"He should prove that Subramaniam (right) had done nothing for the community. If Samy Vellu can prove it, we will pull-out from the contest," said Samy.

He asked the president to take on Subramaniam in a debate to establish if there were any misconduct or wrongdoings on Subramaniam's part.

"What he is doing is character assassination. They (Samy's camp) hold their delegate's meetings in luxury spots, while we are reduce to literally begging for votes," he said.

He also lashed out at Samy Vellu for being biased, as the president had listed out his own line-up for the 23 central working committee positions.

"We are all paying members in the party... why does he need to take sides?" he asked.

'Threatening phone calls'

KP Samy also told Malaysiakini that his wife has been receiving threatening calls from unknown people ever since he hit out at the president.

"One of the callers said I should shut my mouth or I will be murdered. I believe it was from one of the opposing candidates and their campaigners," said Samy, after lodging a police report over the threats.

Prior to that, Samy and several CWC candidates submitted a memorandum to the MIC election committee requesting strict enforcement of the campaign deadline, security at polling booths and integrity of the balloting process.

Subramaniam and vice-president S Sothinathan are in a three-connered tussle for the deputy president's post against G Palanivel, the incumbent earmarked by Samy Vellu to succeed him.

Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail today said that he would be charging those who took part in the 'cow-head' protest 10 days ago.

"I have decided to charge those who carried (the cow head) and spoke while stepping on the cow head under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act, alternatively under Section 298 of the Penal Code," said Abdul Gani in a statement today.


He added that all the demonstrators will also face another charge under Section 27(5) of the Police Act for illegal assembly. [see below for details of the sections]

He said that the decision was based on the investigation paper submitted by the police to him this afternoon.

"I am satisfied based on the facts and evidence gathered by the police that the demonstrators should be taken to court," he said.

The investigation paper was the result of a two-week long police investigation into the protest which has put Malaysia on the international stage for the wrong reason after public outcry over the issue.

Abdul Gani however did not state when the charges would be preferred against the demontrators. He also did not reveal the number of people to be charged.

New site identified

On Aug 28, the demonstrators, residents of Shah Alam's Section 23, marched to the state secretariat to protest the proposed relocation of the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu temple from nearby Section 19.


They were reportedly unhappy that the 150-year-old temple is to be relocated in the Malay-Muslim majority neighbourhood.


The protest turned sour when several unidentified men came forward with a dismembered cow's head and placed it in front of the building gates.


Several individuals then proceeded to spit and step upon the animal's head while uttering threats apparently directed at Selangor executive councillor for health, plantation workers, poverty and caring government Dr Xavier Jayakumar


An attempt by the the state government to hold a dialogue with the residents last Saturday turned rowdly (photo, above) when the residents vehemently objected to the temple being relocated to their neighbourhood.


Following this the state government shelved the plan to relocate the temple but today announced that another site has been found in Section 23 for the relocation.

Hindu religious umbrella body Malaysian Hindu Sangam today expressed its disappointment with Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim over his decision to shelve the relocation of a 150-year-old temple from Section 19 to Section 23, Shah Alam.

"We are upset by his decision because as far as we are concerned, Section 23 is a suitable place," its president S Mohan to Malaysiakini.

Based on his personal visit to the proposed site, Mohan said he observed that it was located 600 metres away from the residential area and not 200 metres as announced by Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad.

"Besides, there is a playground and a hall between the site and the residential area. I also heard that there is a factory going to be built in between. So (technically) the temple will be nearer the factory rather than the houses," he said.


He added that the future of the temple could be bleak as there could possibly be no suitable area to relocate it in the Malay-majority Shah Alam.

"The decision made yesterday also shows that a Hindu temple cannot be built anywhere in Malaysia as we don't have many non-Muslim majority areas (except) for jungle sites or the river sites. It is not fair to the (Indian community)," said Mohan.

Wanting to meet Najib

The newly appointed head of Hindu Sangam however said the religious body was willing to talk to Abdul Khalid and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to discuss about the matter and resolve the relocation issue that has been going on for the past 26 years.

"We would really love to meet the prime minister as he is also the right person to talk about this and we are waiting for (the opportunity)," he said.


In a related development, Mohan also expressed his dissatisfaction towards the police and the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail for not charging the people who staged a 'cow-head' protest last week.

"This is another sad part of it all. Until now, there is no action against the protesters. The AG said he wanted to come up with a report but we can't see anything so far. I don't know what is going to happen next," he said.

Menteri besar Abdul Khalid had yesterday put the temple relocation proposal on hold until the state could find another suitable place following a fierce objection from the residents during a two-hour public dialogue that was held in the morning.

Earlier today Najib said that he will not interfere in the matter as relocation of the temple was under state jurisdiction.

PETALING JAYA: Hindus may face a tough time finding locations to build their temples if incidents like the fracas that took place in Section 23 Shah Alam continues.

Malaysian Hindu Sanggam Council national president R.S. Mohan Shan also wants Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to give his personal attention to solve the matter.

“Both the PM and the Mentri Besar (Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim) must take action to help the 3,000 Hindus in Sections 19 to 23,” he said in an interview yesterday.

Mohan, who is also Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism vice-president, pointed out that the proposed one-acre plot temple site in Section 23, Shah Alam, was located 600m from the residential area, a distance far enough to keep any “disturbing” noise from affecting the residents.

He added that the temple land would also be bordered by industrial areas and not residential areas.

“So we don’t understand why the temple would be a disturbance when it’s so far away,” he said.

He added that the site would also include a parking lot.

In Klang, Malaysian Indian Welfare Association (PKIM) chairman A. Prakash urged the police to arrest and charge those responsible for the cow’s head protest.

He was speaking to reporters at the Klang district police department here yesterday, before lodging a report on the incident.

Prakash was accompanied by Kota Alam Shah assemblyman M. Manoharan and some 20 PKIM members.

Prakash said the incident was created by only a small group of people who had no respect for the sensitivities of other religions, and it did not reflect on the entire Muslim community.

“It is only a group of people who are trying to provoke the Indians deliberately and it has to be stopped immediately,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu will hand over the party leadership to his de­­­pu­­ty at the end of his term in 2012 – if Datuk G. Palanivel wins the contest for deputy presidency on Sept 12.

Samy Vellu’s intention is expected to shore up support for his deputy before the party elections.

A senior MIC leader said Samy Vellu, who was re-elected to the post for an 11th term in March this year, made the decision after consulting several key division lea­ders and delegates.

The leader did not discount the possibility that the transition could take place before the next presidential polls expected in May 2012.

“Should his deputy win in the election, Samy Vellu will let him handle several important party matters as part of the transition process,” the leader told The Star.

Palanivel is being challenged by former deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam and vice-president Datuk S. Sothinathan.

The leader said Samy Vellu was confident of Palanivel’s victory in the upcoming party polls, and wanted his deputy to get more experience in the next three years.

“The president had a lengthy talk with Palanivel a few days ago and said he wanted him to lead the party,” he said.

“Palanivel is key to the smooth power transition as he can get along well with Samy Vellu.” the source said.

“The president is expected to make the announcement at an ap­­propriate time,” he added.

When contacted, Samy Vellu declined to comment.

Section 23 residents have yet to clear the air with the Hindu religious umbrella body Malaysia Hindu Sangam over the controversial 'cow head' protest staged in Shah Alam last week, according to its president.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, S Mohan revealed today that "not even the residents or the home minister (Hishammuddin Hussein) have come and met them like they claimed yesterday".


"And I have checked with all of my staff, whether any of them was contacted by the residents or the minister, but no one has. I don't know why they have used our name," he added.

However, he said, he is "very keen" to meet the residents and would welcome a discussion with them on the matter that has sparked major uproar especially among the Hindu community nationwide.

"I am willing to meet anybody to resolve the matter amicably... I don't want any problem with anyone but other people must consider our sentiment. We still need a temple for worship," Mohan said.

He also said that he will have a private meeting with Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim tomorrow to express his views on the matter.

Recently, Section 23 residents had mounted the protest against the proposed relocation of 150-year-old Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu temple from Section 19 to their neighbourhood.

It was Hindu Sevai Sangam


However the confusion over which Hindu-based group had met with the residents was clarified when VK Regu of the Malaysia Sevai Sangam told Malaysiakini that it was his group which had the meeting.

He said his movement had met the protesting residents on the day after the protest to hold a dialogue.


"We had a fruitful meeting and we explained to them how our feelings were hurt by their actions. We also told them why cows are considered sacred to us," he said, adding that his movement plans to hold more meetings with the residents in the near future.

He said that the meeting was done on their own initiate and that they had no connections with the Malaysia Hindu Sangam.

"It was us whom Hishammuddin was talking about. I also spoke to the minister and he knows our stand on the matter. He said he will help solve the problem," added Regu.

Hishammuddin has 'abused' his power

In a related development, menteri besar's political secretary Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad accused the home minister of abusing his power for meeting up with the residents who were purportedly involved in the 'cow head' protest.

"It is a big question mark when a minister meets up with the residents who are being investigated for being (allegedly) involved in the cow-head protest last week," said Nik Nazmi in a statement.


Although the investigation is still underway, he said, the minister has chosen to "defend the protesters, saying that the situation got out of control and that they have no intention to cause racial (divisions)".

"It is now obvious Hishammuddin tried to give political asylum to this group by abusing his power as a home minister who is in charge of the police force," said Nik Nazmi.

In a separate statement, Malaysian Bar president K Ragunath expressed its disappointment that the home minister had "trivialised" the gravity of the incident by "not denouncing the offensive actions of some of the demonstrators and instead accepted their weak explanation".

He added that Muslim-majority area should not be the factor in building a place of worship for any faith as " (we live in a) uniquely multi-ethnic and multi-faith society".

On the same note, the Bar also believes that although individuals can be allowed to exercise their rights to assemble peacefully, it does not mean they can "disrespect, insult or incite intolerance towards others and their beliefs.

"We regret that a small group of individuals engaged in an act that, in the public perception, was deliberately calculated to inflame sentiments, offend and show contempt, and we commend all those who have spoken up to criticise that behaviour," said Ragunath.

In a related development, Indian-based organisation Hindu Defence Forum (Hindform) urged the federal government and the Selangor government to sort out the issue urgently.

Stating that the protest had "deeply disturbed and frustrated" the Hindu community, Hindform said the police too must take immediate action against the protesters.

"It is out constitutional right to build temples and practice our faith. The Section 19 temple has been around for more than 120 years," said the movement's deputy head A Rajaratnam. He is also the Malaysian Indian Youth Council president.

Residents: They were Umno members

Met by press today, some Section 23 residents claimed that five of the protesters came from the same neighbourhood and "they are all Umno members".

A resident who requested anonymity claimed that the person who was holding the cow's head throughout the protest was Azmir Md Zain, an Umno patron for Section 23.

"Besides him, I can recognise that the other four as also Umno members, including the organiser Mahyuddin Manaf," said the resident.


Meanwhile, Section 23 Hindu committee pro-tem president K Rajah has also rejected Hishammuddin's statement yesterday that some Hindu residents were against the proposed temple plan.

"We have collected over a hundred signatures in a petition to support the temple being relocated here and not one is against the idea," he said.

He also claimed that neither his committee nor any Indian resident was consulted by the Section 23 action committee led by Mahyuddin.

Also, a visit by Malaysiakini to the Section 23 residential area today indicated that the proposed temple site is located at the junction of Persiaran Jubli Perak and Persiaran Perusahaan, facing an industrial lot.

Separated by a playground, a TNB generator and a multi-purpose hall, the temple is about 400 metres away from the nearest houses, mostly occupied by Indians and Chinese.

KUALA LUMPUR: T. Ananthan has come up with a novel way to thank delegates if he is voted into the MIC central working committee in the party polls on Sept 12.

The former journalist, who is more popularly known as Kajang Ananthan, is offering five return air tickets to Chennai in a lucky draw after the voting.

“I am giving this as an incentive to the delegates regardless of whe­ther I win or lose,” he said.

Ananthan is among the professionals, businessmen and veteran politicians contesting as “independents” for seats in the 23-member CWC.

Although it is tough to topple the team en­­dorsed by party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, they feel they have a chance.

Many feel delegates will judge them based on their qualifications and contributions to the party and community.

Datuk Dr Vasan Sinnadurai, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, who received financial assistance from the MIC to further his studies in India, wants to repay the debt by serving the community.

R. Ananthan, managing director of the Precision Enginee­r­ing Com­pany, said he was offering his ser­vices after having been involved in the MIC for 30 years.

“Division chairman Datuk Chan­­drasekhar Suppiah has stepped aside to allow me to contest. I am grateful to him,” he said.

Former vice-president Da­­tuk M. Muthupalaniappan, who made peace with Samy Vellu in June, said: “I still have the strength and passion to serve the community.”

Businessman C. S. Sel­va­­raja, po­­pu­­larly known as James Selvaraj, is Bukit Bintang division vice-chairman and is trying his luck for the second time.

Remisier S. Paramasivam, who is running for the third time, be­­lieves that his expertise in the share market and economy will be an added advantage for the party.

The Human Rights Party (HRP) today condemned both Umno and DAP of violating the land law in carrying out the demolition of three vacant houses and part of an occupied fourth house in Kampung Buah Pala in George Town today.

Saying that that the proposed developer was an Umno-linked company, HRP secretary general P Uthayakumar (left) accused the BN party of violating Section 116(1) (d) of the National Land Code which states that 'where in any alienated land..... no such building shall be demolished, altered or extended without the prior consent in writing of the appropriate authority.'

Similarly he said the DAP Penang government had also refused to issue an official letter prohibiting the demolition of Kampung Buah Pala by virtue of Section 116(1) (d) of NLC.

"DAP is obviously aiding and abetting Umno in the commission of this crime of demolishing Kampung Buah Pala," he said.

Kampung Buah Pala, also commonly known as Tamil High Chaparral, faces eviction to pave way for a lucrative project - the Oasis - undertaken by Umno-linked Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd.

The Penang DAP government transferred the land ownership from the state to a government civil seevants society - Koperasi Pegawai Pegawai Kanan Kerajaan Pulau Pinang - on March 27.

At today's demolition exercise, police were seen by many assaulting and detaining villagers and their supporters, who formed a human barricade to stop the destruction of the village.

'Umno and DAP the villains'

Uthayakumar, also the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) legal advisor, alleged that both Umno and DAP have taken full advantage of the vulnerable, poor, marginalised, defenceless, voiceless and politically powerless working class Indians in Malaysia.


He also chided the police for siding the politically powerful Umno at the federal level and DAP at state level.

He pointed out that the arrest of working class Indians in Kampung Buah Pala proved that the police were biased against those detained today who were not real criminals, who violated the law.

"We were told that the police, who were supposed to be neutral, used rough and aggressive tactics, assault and detained the villagers and their supporters, causing a lady to faint," he said in a press statement today.

He also slammed the police for arresting the villagers' lawyer Darshan Singh Khaira, who was merely discharging his duties further to Section 42 of the Legal Professional Act 1976.

He was detained, manhandled and dragged away forcefully while carrying out his official legal duties.

Real culprits off the hook?

"Of course, the attorney general would not bother prosecuting the real criminals but may instead prosecute these arrested poor, defenseless and homeless people.


"HRP condemns these injustices and especially the arrest of lawyer Darshan Singh," he said, taking a swipe at both Umno and DAP governments' popular themes.

The HRP leader asked how could such open violations of law and order take place in the country under the Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's One Malaysia concept?

He also asked how could such human rights infringement takes place when Penang is being governed by the DAP, which espouses the Malaysian Malaysia concept.

Moreover, he said the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had always been bragging about his CAT government based on competency, accountability and transparency.

"But all these wrongdoings took place today under the One Malaysia, Malaysian Malaysia and CAT governments.

"Such serious violation of human rights can only happen in Malaysia, nowhere else in the world," said the former ISA detainee.

Opposition parliamentarians and non-governmental groups have lodged a police report against Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, demanding that he be either sacked or he resign.


Selangor executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar, one of the complainants, lashed out at the minister for defending those involved in the 'cow-head' protest in Shah Alam last week.

"He used his status as a minister to condone the acts of the suspects who are being investigated by the police... it is very unbecoming of a minister," he said, when contacted today.

Beside Jayakumar, parliamentarians Charles Santiago (Klang-DAP), Dzulkefly Ahmad (Kuala Selangor-PAS), Dr Siti Mariah Mahmood (Kota Raja-PAS) as well as several NGOs and individuals also signed the report at the Petaling Jaya Police District Headquarters today.

"The home minister has exonerated the offenders of all blame and has used his powers to influence the course of the ongoing investigation and the final action to be taken against the offenders.

"We ask him to step down or be sacked as minister of home affairs as he has broken the trust placed in him by Malaysians... as he is the minister in charge of the police force, this is a clear case of gross abuse of power," said Jayakumar


On August 28, residents of Section 23 in Shah Alam had brought along a severed cow's head, spat and stomped on it, as a sign of protest against the proposed relocation of the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu temple from Section 19 to their neighbourhood.

The incident has escalated discontent among the Hindus primarily because cows are considered sacred.

'Utter disrespect for rule of law'

It has also raised doubts over the credibility of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak 's1Malaysia' concept, which includes fostering unity in racial diversity with allegations from several quarters of Umno master-minding the grisly event.

"This was a deliberate insult to the religious beliefs of Hindus and an attempt at creating religious hatred and ill-will in our peaceful country," Jayakumar in his police report.

Prior to filing the police report Jayakumar, said sarcastically, "Hey, all you thieves, murderers, rapists, corrupt officials and whoever else can now turn to Hishammuddin before the AG decides what to do."

He also raked up Hishammuddin's past where he had waved his keris inciting bloodshed, supported the arrest of lawyers who went to defend those detained by the police, arrested 580 people for standing up for their rights to protest against the Internal Security Act and now defends a group prepared to bring about racial unrest and bloodshed.

"This shows that he has utter disrespect for the rule of law and uses his position and power for his own political gain.


"It would also be interesting to find out how MCA, MIC, Gerakan, and others in the BN are thinking or saying... do minorities have a right to pray, build a place of worship and live peacefully with other Malaysians, or do Umno and the BN prescribe that we build our places of worship in the heart of a jungle, where we will be out of sight and is safe for BN?

"We teach our children Rukun Negara, moral studies in school, but how do we explain to a child that tolerance is important when such hatred and irresponsible behaviour is supported by national leaders?" he asked.

However, he pleaded to the people to uphold the values of tolerance and goodwill, and keep calm.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom today chided the organiser of this Saturday's concert by Micheal Learns to Rock for not taking into consideration the sensitivity of Muslims in the country.


The action by the organiser to go ahead with the concert at the Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands, Pahang, showed their disrespect for the fasting month, he said in a statement here today.

Jamil Khir, who is in charge of religous affairs, said his statement should be taken in the spirit of IMalaysia for the sake of unity and harmony.

The Danish group, which is currently on their 'Eternity Tour 2009', is due to perform on Saturday.

Protest looms

Meanwhile, PAS has threatened to hold a protest against the concert.

PAS said that the cabinet's decision to allow the band to perform violates the sacredness of the holy month.

"Foreign bands, not aware of the local culture, would challenge the sensitivities of the Muslims,” said PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi

"A concert of this nature would corrupt and weaken the morals of the people, causing them to be undiscerning in their conduct," said Nasrudin.

PAS held protests against Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne's concert last year after failing to have it banned, saying her performance would weaken the younger generation "morally and mentally."

A performance by Gwen Stefani was also targeted, and although the event went ahead she was forced to cover up after complaints about her skimpy outfits.

Another event is stirring up controversy with organisers of US hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas concert reversing an earlier stand which saw Muslims banned from the Sept 25 performance.

The concert in Sunway Lagoon, sponsored by Guinness, is part of the brewery's 250th birthday celebrations.

In an about-face, concert organisers Artists World Entertainment said yesterday that anyone was free to attend the event which "is open to all individuals aged 18 and above."

- Bernama

The Indian Studies Department of Universiti Malaya, the nation's premier university, will not be re-named and would be headed by a qualified Malaysian Indian, the cabinet decided today.

Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam, the sole Indian representative in the cabinet, said the cabinet was against the department's name change, as proposed by several quarters.

He said the cabinet had also directed the higher education ministry to ensure that an eligible Malaysian Indian headed the department.

"These two important decisions, it is hoped, will put a stop to all speculation on the status of the department, and who would head it," he told reporters today.

The issue surfaced early last month, when the university decided to appoint a non-Indian to head the department.

This was strongly criticised by the Indian community and the MIC.

The university authorities were also mulling a name change to the department after several proposals.

"I hope the cabinet decision today would put an end to all sorts of speculation on the status of the department and its head. Too many things have been said, and enough is enough. We do not want this to spiral into a race issue," said Subramaniam, who is also MIC secretary-general.

He said the Cabinet's decision also received the full backing of the higher education ministry.

No stand on Raya bonus

On the Hari Raya bonus payment for civil servants, the minister said that today's cabinet meeting discussed the matter but did not make a stand.

"Our economy is not good at this point in time. We have a deficit of four per cent. The nation has been hit badly by the economic crisis. Although we discussed the matter, we have to take into account the current economic situation of the country," he added.

On another note, Subramaniam said, human resources officials from both the Malaysian and Indonesian governments were in the midst of several meetings to iron out various hurdles to re-admit Indonesian maids to work here.

"They had a meeting on Aug 20, and another has been planned for Sept 5 in Jakarta. We have to wait for the outcome of these meetings before any decision can be announced," he said, expressing confidence it could be sorted out soon.

About two months ago, Indonesia barred its maids from seeking employment in Malaysia after reports of several maid abuse cases were highlighted in the media.

- Bernama

The Home Ministry has issued a letter advising English-language daily Malay Mail to practice caution after the newspaper had published an article highlighting caste-politics within MIC.

The newspaper's editor Ahiruddin Attan had posted the letter dated yesterday on his blog, adding that it was issued following a demonstration by MIC Youth members on the article which was published on August 24.

The article titled 'MIC battles caste politics' highlighted caste affiliation of leaders contesting for top positions in the party elections due to be held on Sept 12.

"The key word in the letter is 'nasihat' (advice). It's an advice for us not to publish similar offending articles in the future.

"We are also duly reminded of the guidelines issued by the ministry from time to time, he said Ahiruddin commenting on the letter.

'Issue still relevant'

However, he asserted that caste-based politics is still relevant within the party in spite of objections some quarters.

Prior to this, MIC's Unity and Social Development Committee chairperson S Vell Paari (right), had blasted the newspaper for bringing shame and insult to the Indian community and demanded that the daily apologised within 24-hours from the date of the article.

This is the first the letter from the Home Ministry, which is in-charge of publishing license as stipulated under Printing Presses and Publications Act, sent to a media organisation instructing it to adhere to guidelines under the administration of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"I can't say I like the tone of the letter, at least not more than the letters from Home Affairs Ministry which I used to receive back then," stated Ahiruddin.

"But what I can say is that the Home Affairs Ministry under this new minister has handled the matter quite well, queries were cool and collected, nobody was blowing things out of proportions.

"Can't say the same thing about some of the MIC leaders, though," he added.

According to him, the writer of the article Frankie d'Cruz and another writer Kharleez Zubin were also called in to give their statements in relation to the police reports lodged.

'It could have been written differently'

MIC Youth Chief T Mohan said that although they are happy with the intervention, he reminded that such articles should have not been published in the first place.

"It was not right to mention which clan someone was attached to because leaders were not selected based on their caste... it could have been written differently," said Mohan.

"Those who are good and those who are able to perform are those who are eligible to contest... there is no quota based on race in MIC," he stressed.

The police have completed their probe into the controversial 'cow-head' protest and will submit their findings to Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail tomorrow morning.


Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told Malaysiakini that the investigating officer and several others will brief the AG on the matter at his office in Putrajaya.

"We will take further instructions from the AG regarding the case," he said.

The police chief also said more than 60 people, including the organisers, have been questioned over the protest which is being investigated under the Sedition Act by a special team created for this task.

However, no arrests have been made so far.

Last Friday, some 50 residents of Section 23 in Shah Alam staged a protest which received international media coverage and drew widespread condemnation from various quarters including both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat politicians.


The residents, who were protesting against the proposal to relocate a Hindu temple to their area, brought the severed head of a cow to convey their dissatisfaction with the state government.

The resident's action committee chairperson Mahyuddin Manaf later claimed that the appearance of the cow's head was a mystery, and that the protesters did not intend to stir up religious tension.

He also stressed that the act was not meant to belittle the Hindu religion, which considers the animal to be sacred.

Residents to meet minister

Apart from the protesters, the police had also come under fire for not acting swiftly on the day of the protest.

Shah Alam district police chief Noor Azam Jamaluddin later apologised for this during a meeting with Pakatan leaders.

Some of the residents were `o meet Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein tomorrow to voice their grievances.


The minister said the residents, who requested an appointment with him, come from "different political ideology" despite speculation that they were all from Umno.

"We need to look at the angle where a temple is going to be moved there, so we need to go across the political ideology. The relocation could be offensive to anyone," he said.

On Sunday, the minister issued a stern warning against actions that can be detrimental to national security.

Hishammuddin had also said that although there were calls for him to invoke the Internal Security Act in addressing the issue, the Act will only be used as a last resort or in a situation which could harm national security.

On Sunday, Hishammuddin had issued a stern warning against actions that threat national security.

Malay Muslims are now permitted to attend a concert by US hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas, organisers said today, reversing an earlier stand which saw Muslims banned from the event.

The Malaysian website for the Sept 25 event, sponsored by the Guinness brewery, had specified it was "restricted to non-Muslims aged 18 and above," triggering controversy in the multicultural nation.

Muslim Malays, who dominate Malaysia's population, are not allowed to drink alcohol while members of the Chinese and Indians minorities are not subject to such restrictions.

However, in an about-face, concert organisers Artists World Entertainment said that anyone was free to attend the event which "is open to all individuals aged 18 and above."

The organisers did not give any reason for the change in its position.

"As a reputable concert organiser with years of experience showcasing international acts in Malaysia, we will continue to adhere strictly to the conditions as stated in our licensing approvals," they said in a statement.

The furore is the latest in a series of cases which have raised fears that Islamic law is on the rise in Malaysia, threatening its secular status.

Caned for beer drinking

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a 32-year-old part-time model and mother of two, was sentenced to six strokes of the cane by an Islamic court in July for drinking beer.

The government said the punishment was "too harsh" and threatened Malaysia's reputation as a moderate nation. It said the sentence would be put on hold while a review was conducted.

There have also been moves to limit the sale of alcohol in Selangor, the state which surrounds the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Performances by foreign bands frequently come under fire in Malaysia, particularly from the conservative Islamic party PAS.

The PAS has called for Danish band Michael Learns to Rock to be banned from performing on September 5, saying it was an insult to Muslims during the fasting month of Ramadan.

- AFP