The real reason why people are asking Works Minister S Samy Vellu to resign is that many people suspect him to be corrupt and to have betrayed the community which trusted him in all his years in the MIC and the Barisan Nasional.

The problem is that, except his long tenure, these frustrations have not been proven. But I have a better reason why he should go - he is not getting better at his job and there is a strong likelihood that there are many people out there better at it than him.

After so many years as the works minister, Samy Vellu should be the best public works employee in the world. However, its clear that he is not getting any better and neither is it likely that this trend will reverse.

All the recent fiascoes concerning public infrastructure projects clearly show that he is not the best man for the job. After all, if I have been at my job for so many years and still cannot be the best at what I do, then there is no way I should keep my job.

If the prime minister is serious about improving public service performance, then the message he should send is this: 'If you cannot do better, then leave.'