MIC invited to join Pakatan? Samy keeps mum

MIC president S Samy Vellu refused to confirm or deny whether overtures had been made for the party to join the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

“I won’t say anything about it,” said Samy when asked if MIC had been approached by Pakatan.

At a press conference after the party’s weekly central working committee (CWC) meeting in Kuala Lumpur today, Samy also kept mum when asked whether Pakatan leaders had approached him.

However, Samy pledged that there was “no doubt” about MIC’s loyalty to Barisan Nasional.

“MIC will continue to stay in BN. No doubt about it. We have been there through thick and thin. We will remain there...we have no intentions to move anywhere.

“We will continue to contribute to the BN objectives and serve the Indian community through BN,” he stressed.

Sources claim that a top MIC leader is being cajoled into engineering MIC’s withdrawal from BN and joining Pakatan.

Rebranding leaders?

On the party’s rebranding efforts, Samy refused to answer if the process would include a leadership change despite being asked on the matter twice.

“We are not talking about (rebranding the) leadership...I don’t want to answer the question. I’m talking about what needs to be done for the future of the party,” he said.

According to Samy, the rebranding efforts were based on an 64-page analysis of the 12th General Election campaign and voter reactions towards politicians.

He said that the rebranding exercise would include improving work ethics, incorporating new strategies and approaches towards reaching out to the Indian community as well as incorporating a new party logo, song and uniform.

The party would however maintain their core beliefs and values. Suggestions for changes to the party would be tabled during the party’s annual delegates meeting in July.

Samy said that a total of 140 meetings would be held nationwide to brief members about the rebranding efforts over the next nine-months.

VP storms out

In another development, MIC vice-president KS Nijhar stormed out of CWC meeting room in a huff and refused to tell reporters why.

He was heard shouting: “How can you sack the person? How can you be so cruel?”

Sources told Malaysiakini that the CWC was contemplating sacking their Klang division chief Alex Thiagarasan yesterday over scathing comments made against Samy that was carried by the New Straits Times.

Alex had called Samy a “dictatory and “judge, jury and executioner” and faulted the latter over the party’s troubles of late.

Sources said that several CWC members had suggested that Alex be sacked but others, including Nijhar, objected.

During the press conference, Samy refused to comment on the matter and instead asked reporters to approach Nijhar for an explanation.