MIC president S Samy Vellu has promised that Hulu Selangor MIC branch leaders will not boycott or sabotage the upcoming by-election there.

Samy Vellu said the branch leaders should not be disgruntled as Barisan Nasional chairperson Najib Abdul Razak would meet their leader and MIC deputy president G Palanivel to resolve their grievances.

NONE "The outcome of the meeting will be made public," said Samy Vellu, when met before his meeting with local party leaders in Kuala Kubu Baru this evening.

Samy Vellu said he had conveyed the latest developments to about 20 out of 72 Hulu Selangor MIC branch leaders today, in view of their previous threats to dissolve their branches should Palanivel not be chosen.

MIC information chief P Kamalanathan was chosen as the candidate yesterday, prompting disgruntlement among local branch leaders loyal to Palanivel who has been Hulu Selangor MP from 1990 to 2008.

Najib is currently abroad and is scheduled to return only after the March 25 by-election.

Previously, party sources speculated that Palanivel would be offered a senatorship and a deputy minister's post as a compromise for bowing out of the race.

Kamal, Alan and Nathan

Samy Vellu also doused rumours that Palanivel has turned his back on MIC's campaign by saying that the latter had promised to go to the ground starting today.

"He promised to be with us everyday," he said, adding that as a seasoned Hulu Selangor politician, Palanivel has "his own style of campaigning".

"He knows which areas are our strongholds and which areas need more work, (so) he will arrange his own (campaign) schedule," he said.

NONE He added that he is confident of winning the by-election as he believes that BN has the support of "3,000 young voters" which they "lost” in the 2008 general election.

"This time around we have 3,000 young voters in our vault. They have shown a lot of interest in our campaign," he claimed.

Earlier Kamalanathan ( left, in white ) described himself as a "1Malaysia" candidate, as he can be "'Kamal' for the Malays, 'Alan' for the Chinese and 'Nathan' for the Indians".

Speaking to Malaysiakini while visiting the media centre later, he said that he will explain himself to the approximately 20 dissatisfied branches.

"They are not unhappy with me...I have yet to get over my own surprise over being chosen, but like a soldier we have always be ready for war," he said.

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