After a lengthy meeting which dragged on for almost three hours, MIC president S Samy Vellu announced that the party will not withdraw its representatives from the cabinet and pledged support for the new premier.

Reading out a brief statement after chairing the all-powerful Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, the veteran politician shut the file on the controversy.

samy vellu pc 160409 02 "This (cabinet appointments) is the prerogative of the prime minister. We are not making any comments. The subject is closed," he told a packed press conference.

But when prodded by journalists, the MIC president made it clear that his requests to the premier were not met.

Following the April 7 Bukit Selambau by-election, which saw defeated MIC candidate S Ganesan chalking up a marked increase in support from Indian voters, Samy Vellu said he requested for an additional deputy minister post to be given for a woman.

"I had recommended for an additional deputy minister's post for a woman. I gave the list to the PM and told him that it was his decision," he said.

This is contrary to the speculations that he had lobbied for a deputy minister's post for vice-president S Sothinathan, who is said to hold a special place in the president's heart.

Sothinathan was a former deputy minister prior to his defeat in the March 8 polls last year, which also witnessed MIC's top echelon, including the president, being wiped out. The sole survivor being secretary-general Dr S Subramaniam.

Requested for a senior ministry

Samy Vellu also conceded asking the premier that MIC be given a senior ministry but clarified that he did not specifically request for the Works Ministry.

The 73-year-old politician, who was recently annointed as president for a record 11th term, said he made this petition based on the fact that MIC was the third largest component party in Barisan Nasional.

"MIC has always been allocated a senior ministerial post since the days of then prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman," he said.

The MIC president was previously the works minister. Currently Subramaniam is the party's sole full minister overseeing the human resources portfolio, which many regard as a junior ministry.

MIC also has two deputy ministers, M Saravanan (Federal Territories) and SK Devamany (Prime Minister's Department).

Samy Vellu was also asked if MIC had been sidelined and the current scenario was a reflection of the party not having any clout in the ruling coalition.

Denying that the party had lost its influence, the MIC president was confident that his party could survive even "for the next 100 years" if it was sidelined.

"We have the strength and the drive to do this," he said, adding that MIC's only concern was the woes faced by the Indian community in Malaysia.

According to Samy Vellu, the government had dragged its feet in responding to the issues raised, as a result of which the community had turned its back on the ruling coalition.

"I was in the cabinet for 29 years. I think I am the longest serving minister in the world.

"But whenever I brought up issues (concerning the community), the response and implementation process was slow and we lost their support," he said, expressing hope that things would be different under the new leadership.

The MIC president also said that all the issues which were raised in the cabinet had been recorded. "I have a recording myself, but I am sworn to secrecy."

On losing extra minister post

Meanwhile, Samy Vellu also denied that he was responsible for MIC losing its two full minister positions in the past.

Clarifying that it happened before he assumed the reins in 1979, the president said: "I was a nobody at the time (with regards to making such decisions)."

In 1974, MIC's former president G Manikavasagam was full minister and the party's then number two Athi Nahappan was deputy minister.

Two years later, Athi Nahappan was made a full minister and K Pathmanaban was appointed parliamentary secretary. Two months after his appointment, Athi Nahappan passed away and Pathmanaban was appointed deputy minister in 1977.

In 1978, Manikavasagam continued as minister with Pathmanaban as deputy minister. In the same year, Samy Vellu was also appointed deputy minister.

After Manikavasagam died in 1979, Samy Vellu was made a full minister.

On Saturday, Malaysiakini had reported that MIC was considering pulling out its representatives from the cabinet.

A party insider had said that MIC was peeved over numerous unresolved issues, chief among them was the 'treatment accorded by the new administration to the Indian community'.

He said that MIC was willing to become a standalone party within BN and concentrate its efforts to unite the Indian community.

According to the party insider who is close to the MIC leadership, topping the list of grouses was that the Indians were still being 'treated as second or even third-class' citizens in the country.

Secondly, and perhaps the main reason for the pull-out threat, is because the new cabinet line-up saw the absence of a senior ministerial portfolio for MIC.

On the same note speculations are rife that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is pressuring the MIC president to step down, but this has never been confirmed.

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