The Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) movement has demanded the Home Ministry revoke Tamil Nesan's publishing permit for “trashing the reputation” of journalists from other media organisations.

NONE GAS coordinator KP Samy ( right ), who was booted out from the MIC in May for going against the party leadership, urged the ministry to act against the newspaper - controlled by MIC president S Samy Vellu - for labelling journalists as ‘scoundrels, frauds and lacking in dignity’.

However, Tamil Nesan’s chief editor A Veerasamy, who goes by the pen name of Tamil Mani, told Malaysiakini that he was not referring to all media practitioners in his writing, but to only one reporter from the rival Malaysia Nanban .

In his article, Veerasamy had lamented that all other media organisations are biased when reporting or commenting on Samy Vellu.

“I was not defending Samy Vellu, but I was voicing my opinion of a journalist who has no dignity and honour,” said Veerasamy.

mic agm 110710 s samy vellu 1 “I was referring to him specifically because his newspaper has been attacking Samy Vellu ( left ), and they even printed a picture of someone hitting a leader’s photo with a slipper on the front page,” he said.

“Is that necessary? Samy Vellu has agreed to leave by September next year so it is not appropriate to humiliate a community leader,” he said while asserting that he was not personally defending the MIC boss.

He refused to comment further on KP Samy’s allegations and reiterated that he will only answer to the Home Ministry.

Threat against journalist

However, seeing red over Veerasamy’s stinging remarks, KP Samy lodged a police report on the Tamil Nesan editor's "threat against a journalist" yesterday, as well as writing to the Home Ministry complaining about the article.

“Samy Vellu claims to be the crusader for the Tamil language, but look at the use of such unsavoury words in his own newspaper,” he blasted.

“We all know Tamil Nesan belongs to Samy Vellu and his son Vell Paari. Samy Vellu has been going around claiming to be the protector of Tamil (language) in this country. Is this how he protects the language, by allowing his chief editor to write such articles?” he asked.

“Both of them (Samy Vellu and Vell Paari) should do the right thing and sack Tamil Mani for his foul writing,” he said.

He also issued an ultimatum to the ministry to act on the daily within the next three days, or GAS ‘would not stop at anything’ to take its grouses to the street.

Fanning religious sentiments

Besides offending journalists, Tamil Nesan has also been accused of playing on racial and religious sentiments, another GAS coordinator, S Kumar Amaan charged.

Kumar has filed a complaint addressed to the Home Ministry's Publication Control and Al-Quran Text Division claiming that the newspaper has been labelling him as ‘Karim Kumar’ although he is a practising Hindu.

He added that his name had been ‘savaged’ and over the last four months the daily has been repeatedly addressing him as a Muslim, as Kumar's father had converted following his parents’ divorce when he was younger.

“I am a Hindu by birth. My father divorced my mother and married a Muslim woman. He became a Muslim after that. I was brought up by my mother after my father left,” he stated in the letter.

“But the newspaper continues to say that I am a Muslim and I am named Karim Kumar. This allegation is baseless. It is also trying to blow this issue out of proportion by using religious sentiments,” he said.

The complaint letter were also forwarded to Selangor Islamic authorities, the Malaysian Hindu Sangam and the prime minister's office. A police report has also been lodged.

“The allegation is also affecting me as a businessman. I hope the Home Ministry will investigate and take appropriate action.” he said, suggesting that the Tamil Nesan’s permit be suspended.