Former MIC deputy president S Subramaniam today expressed sadness over the one-month suspension of Tamil daily, Makkal Osai .

Speaking at a press conference at his residence in Petaling Jaya, he said the daily was suspended despite issuing an apology and the affected parties accepting it.

The two-year-old newspaper, which is closely linked to Subramaniam, was suspended on Aug 24 after publishing an image of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette and a beer can under its 'Thought for the day' section.

Below the image was a quote attributed to Jesus calling on sinners to repent.

"They ( Makkal Osai ) made a mistake and their apology was accepted," said Subramaniam, stopping short of describing the suspension as 'unfair' when asked.

"Let the government review (the directive). If you want to use the law, you can use that. It's a mistake. It's a question of whether anything would be achieved in banning a further one week or one month, I don't know, because who is the affected party?

"The affected party are the Christians. They have accepted the apology and regarded the matter settled," he added.

He also revealed that the newspaper has filed an appeal and are keeping their fingers crossed that the government will reconsider its decision.

External forces?

Prior to its suspension, the daily has been providing extensive coverage on the death of local actress K Sujatha and the problems in the debt-ridden investment arm of MIC, Maika Holdings.

MIC president S Samy Vellu's son Vell Paari was implicated in the death of the actress, but the latter has denied the allegations. Vell Parri also helms Maika Holdings, which is scheduled to hold its annual general meeting on Thursday.

Samy Vellu and Subramaniam have been at loggerheads for more than two decades. The feud culminated in Subramaniam's defeat in last year's party elections to the president's choice for the number two post, G Palanivel.

Asked to respond to allegations that the Samy Vellu-linked Tamil Nesan daily and other external forces had pushed for Makkal Osai's suspension, Subramaniam said:

" Makkal Osai has been one of the best Tamil newspapers in the country giving all sides of the story, be it Maika or the death of Sujatha. There has been a lot of disgruntlement over this. I'm sure they would be happy that the paper has been suspended."

When pressed further, he added: "MIC Youth are the ones who asked for the paper to be closed. The MIC Youth made the police report and asked for the paper to be closed. I've never heard of this before, a political party asking for (its own) mother tongue paper to be closed. I've never in my life. This is the first time.

"I only say what I know. What went on behind the scene, whether anything went on, I wouldn't know. It's very obvious, they made a lot of police reports."

Act of sabotage?

However, Subramaniam did not state that the government had erred in its judgement to suspend the daily.

"I am not saying the government made a mistake. Under the law, they have the power to do so," he said.

On the rumours that the daily was sabotaged, Subramaniam, who described himself as a well-wisher of Makkal Osai , said the management was not ruling out any possibilities.

"Anything is possible. The person (staff) who made the mistake has been suspended pending an internal inquiry. But the question is, will he own up?" he added.

Subramaniam also stressed that he has always defended the Tamil media when it ran into trouble, citing several newspapers, including Malaysia Nanban , as examples.

During the press conference, Subramaniam brought the spotlight down on a journalist from Tamil Nesan when he realised the presence of a photographer from that daily.

He asked around for the whereabouts of the journalist who was standing in the back. "Come and sit in the front, it is a big thing that you have come to cover this (press conference)," he quipped.

Watch the three-minute video here.