vox populi small thumbnail 'But Mugilan better be aware that whatever support - direct or indirect - offered by Umno will just fade away once Samy Vellu steps down.'

 

Mugilan launches GAS against Samy Vellu

Shah Dali: Let me explain the whole chess game. BN sees no hope to win the 13th general elections without Indian votes. But Makkal Sakti has lost the ‘sakti'. The only way to win the Indian vote is to rebrand MIC.

But for MIC to do well, party boss S Samy Vellu must go. Deputy president G Palanivel must also go because he is weak and Samy's puppet. So rebel leader V Mugilan is the white knight.

The only advice I have here is for ex-MIC members not to be naive and become their tools. Umno will only use you, and then will ignore you when they get ‘checked mate'.

Yuvan: Mugilan could receive some substantial support from all those MIC leaders and members expelled by Samy Vellu. But Mugilan should know that Samy Vellu is an extremely seasoned veteran and in the dirty world of politics, he will make sure to wipe out the political ambitions of all his opponents before he steps down.

Some Umno leaders who have also been waiting too long to see Samy Vellu step down could boost Mugilan's ego and offer him some sort of tacit support. But Mugilan better be aware that whatever support - direct or indirect - offered by Umno will just fade away once Samy Vellu steps down.

Mugilan should not be naive in thinking that Umno will be there to support and fulfil whatever political ambition he has. He should ensure that he has the support of the MIC grassroots for his efforts to remove Samy Vellu.

Unless he has 'air tight' support from MIC and the Indian community, whatever he wants to do will be nothing more than just 'gas'.

Indra: Umno wants Samy to leave, but he is not willing. It will support anyone who oppose Samy Vellu. Later Umno will reward them with government positions. We will have a new leader with a different name but will do the same thing what Samy Vellu has done for the last 30 years.

The majority of MIC central working committee members are Samy Vellu supporters. If the CWC leaders are serious about helping the Indian community, they should do what the MCA leaders did - all resign and ask for an EGM to elect a new set of MIC national leaders.

During the EGM, they should vote for changes to the constitutional requirement which prohibits qualified and potential ordinary members from contesting the posts of vice-president, deputy president and president.

Kumara: Remember, Mugilan had strong backing from Umno for the Hulu Selangor by-election. Umno hates Samy Vellu so Mugilan might not be the small fry many assume him to be. He might be the proxy for Umno, and this Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu movement is Umno's way of getting rid of Samy.

Furthermore, the mainstream media has been giving a lot negative coverage on Samy lately. This could be the beginning of his end.

Kgen Removing Samy Vellu is not the medicine to bring back Indian votes to BN. The Indian discontent goes deeper than Samy Vellu. Umno only looks at the superficial not the real issues affecting the community.

Dood: Obviously some of the MIC members are clueless to realise that they serve at the pleasure of Umno/BN/Perkasa. Did they actually think they were even close to being an actual equal partner deserving of respect? No, that stopped being the case a long time ago.

They're now just there for show and are nothing but a puppet party to provide the naive public some (false) semblance of a multiracial, multi-religious coalition. Wake up and smell the teh tarik!

Firefly: UK's Gordon Brown, Australia's John Howard, New Zealand's Helen Clark - and there are many, many examples - lost elections for their parties, even though they won their own parliamentary seats.

But in their systems, you must have the grace and dignity to bow out when you have lost. They were prime ministers, they led by example, in defeat as well. You leave in the best interests of your own party, for it to recover from the loss and move on.

Here we have the president of a small and insignificant party claiming to represent his community when he cannot even win himself a seat to Parliament. Who exactly is he representing and what is the issue of his continued obstinacy in wanting to lead his party? What luminance does he think he has which is irreplaceable?

Kapar MP denies defection rumours

Dex: I am positive S Manikavasagam will not defect. He has to show his credibility. What is wrong in him exposing corruption in public? If the other party is innocent, they can always sue him. There is no need for threats.

All corruption must be exposed in public, be it by BN or Pakatan Rakyat. Corruption is corruption, there is no two ways about it. I encourage Mike (Manikavasagam) to stand his ground if he has all the documents to prove the illegal acts. There should not be two set of rules.

Subramaniam: Mike, they are piling pressure on you to discredit you. You try to do good for Malaysians, but they vilify you. How true it is the Chinese saying that there are dogs that will bite the hands that feed them, but lick the leg that kicks them. Just hold your head high and go on. Rumours are malicious and intended to harm you.

Those say that the dirty linen shouldn't be washed in public, but please remember that unless the public can see that the linen is dirty, they can't change it.

Mike's fight is against corruption. Righteous Malaysians are with you even if they don't write in. Corruption, or its euphemism ‘money politics', has been the scourge of Malaysian society. Now we are condemning one one man who is standing up against it.

Kapten Pencen: While no one denies that the Kapar MP is fighting corruption, it is the way he is doing it that people are questioning. Must he come out in public with his fight? And in so doing, he is only encouraging Umno to sow more discord in PKR particularly, and Pakatan in general, so as to break up the alliance.

That is what many people are against, and not the fight (against corruption). As the saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

To the Kapar MP, go ahead and continue your good fight against corruption, nepotism, and what not. But please do not give any extra fuel to Umno. Fight your fight from within.

Anwar targets marginal seats in roadshows

Ferdtan: Just like the scout's motto ‘Be prepared', PKR can do well to prepare early the ground work for the next general election. However, don't just depend too much on Anwar Ibrahim. You need the whole lot of foot soldiers. Start building up your war chest as nothing moves without money.

Saifuddin Nasution is the right person for the post of secretary-general as he has good organisational skill unlike his predecessor (Salehuddin Hashim) - a businessman who only knows how to make money.

Azmil Tayeb: With Pakatan's limited resources, it's good to speak early and make the rural people understand that their livelihood has been badly affected by the mismanagement of the BN-led government.

Their mind will be opened up now with the cost of living going up. Keep national issues out until the general election campaign. Tell them about the bread-and-butter issues and the payments they have to make to the money-squandering of BN leaders, relatives and cronies.

If permits are a problem, hold talks in smaller halls or big restaurants. Don't leave the Indians and Chinese out. They love to hear first-hand news. The ceramahs must consist of component parties leaders too to reflect harmony and acceptance.

Do keep listening to the grassroots, and you will be on the road to Putrajaya.

 

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