MIC is not affected by former vice-president SS Subramaniam's departure from the party, MIC president S Samy Vellu said.

He said the party was not disappointed with the move as the former vice-president had not contributed much in the struggle to champion the cause of the Indian community.

ss subramaniam join pkr 250709 subramaniam (right) "We don't see it as a loss. In fact, what he has done is a 'good thing'," he was quoted as saying by Bernama today.

SS Subramaniam announced yesterday that he had joined PKR and that 10 MIC branches with 1,700 members in the Klang Valley would follow suit in the near future.

Samy Vellu denied the claim and said that only 300 members were involved.

"He is just bragging. MIC is capable of attracting even more new members especially among the young," he said, adding that it was not impossible for those who had joined PKR to leave for other parties in the future.

Willing to cooperate

In another development, the MIC president said his party is willing to cooperate with the Penang government to resolve the Kampung Buah Pala issue for the sake of the Indian community.

samy vellu exclusive on tamil schools 080708 06 Samy Vellu said he would meet Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng soon to discuss the matter.

"I have contacted him (Lim) this morning and we will decide on the date for the meeting this afternoon to find ways of resolving the problems of the Indian residents in the village.

"Most probably, the meeting will be held in two or three days," he told reporters before opening the 63rd Penang MIC convention here today.

Samy said it was the responsibility of MIC to assist and find ways to overcome problems affecting the Indian community in the country.

"We hope the discussion to be held with the Penang chief minister will yield positive results for residents in the village," he added.

Meanwhile, Samy reiterated MIC's willingness to pay premium of RM3.2 million for the return of the affected land in Kampung Buah Pala.

"MIC is prepared to pay to help resolve the problem and return the land to the Kampung Buah Pala residents," he added.

The Kampung Buah Pala land controversy came about when the villagers were ordered to vacate the land before Aug 3 following the sale of the 2.6ha land by the previous state government to Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang Bhd.