KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president S Samy Vellu has slammed critics who constantly brand the party as weak and unable to muster support from the Indian community for Barisan Nasional.
His anger was directed at those within the ruling coalition as well.
Although he did not mention names, it is certain that the veteran politician had Umno in his line of fire as well.
“If any outsider or BN party feels that MIC is weak, that indicates their own weakness because they are unable to know or realise the strength of their own family.
“They have actually failed to understand the strength of MIC,” he said.
Samy Vellu stressed that MIC would no longer tolerate “false and unjust accusations” against the party, and that it has become necessary for him and MIC “to guide the blind to the truth”.
Recently, reported that Umno leaders have been highly critical of MIC and its president of three decades
These Umno leaders have told Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak that if the component parties do not want to reform, then BN should reform them.
Sources have also claimed that Najib has been marginalising Samy Vellu, such as in the case of the senatorship offered to the latter's deputy G Palanivel.
According to sources, the MIC president was in the dark until the eleventh hour about Palanivel being sworn in to take his seat in the Dewan Negara on Monday.
Meanwhile, Samy Vellu said MIC information chief P Kamalanathan's victory over PKR heavyweight Zaid Ibrahim in the April 25 Hulu Selangor by-election had driven home the point.
He said the result showed that MIC was still strong and attractive, especially to the younger generation.
“I personally managed to swing the votes of more than 2,400 young Indian voters to the BN candidate from MIC.
“The 2,400 young Indian voters had voted for the opposition in the 2008 general election (where BN lost with a 198 vote majority), but in the last (Hulu Selangor) by-election, we (MIC) managed to bring them back into BN’s fold,” he said.
'Nobody can stop me'
Samy Vellu also reminded his detractors that nobody could stop him from reviving the fortunes of MIC although certain quarters wanted the party to “break and disintegrate”.
“I will continue to work 18 hours a day to bring back the support of the Indian community just as I did before.
“We have done it in Hulu Selangor and the Bagan Pinang by-elections. Nothing can stop me. MIC is paramount to me and my members,” he said.
He said following the party’s win in Hulu Selangor, MIC has now set its sights on winning more support from the younger voters through specific programmes.
Samy Vellu said the upcoming state MIC meetings scheduled to start from May 14 would be used as platforms to strategise and implement the programmes, especially at the divisional and branch levels.
“There will have to be stronger commitment and better coordination among state, divisional and branch leaders to carry out these programmes.
“We have to move on and capture the hearts and minds of more younger people,” he said, adding that there are more than four million new voters, majority of whom are below the age of 40 who have yet to register as voters.
Samy Vellu said MIC would make further improvements and reforms to cater for the needs of the younger generation.
He said the party would also be further strengthened with “new blood and people with new ideas".
Samy Vellu added that the party must remain focused on community-related issues and ways to strengthen its machinery, especially at the branch level.
