Vote buyers beware! MIC president Samy Vellu says he will immediately sack members suspected of playing money politics during the current party divisional elections without even referring them to the party's disciplinary committee.

"I will use my power as party president to expel them [...] I don't want to wait for investigations by the party disciplinary committee. Expel them first, then investigate," said Samy at a press conference today after chairing MIC's monthly central working committee meeting.

Noting that vote-buying activities has become 'more active' than before, Samy said the step was need in view of the divisional elections over the next two days which is seeing heated contests involving 67 party divisions in Kedah and Selangor.

Presently, the party disciplinary committee has found one member from Ipoh Timur guilty of vote-buying resulting in his sacking.

The Teluk Intan division's annual general meeting (AGM) held last week was also annulled by the party based on the same charge. The division expects to hold a re-election before the annual delegates conference in June.

The RM3 million man

The party has also barred the Bagan division (Penang) from holding an AGM pending investigations into a charge that an individual there was claiming to have spent RM3 mil for the party and that therefore he deserved more votes.

Appalled by the recent developments, Samy lambasted party members who did not serve the community but instead tried to buy votes during election periods.

"The MIC is not a party for the rich. It's for the poor and we must help the poor," said Samy, who retained his post uncontested for the 10th consecutive term on March 6.

Ask to comment on the slew of poison pen letters making their rounds in Selangor, he said, "Those who distribute poison pen letters will (eventually) kill themselves in politics".

To another question, Samy said it was not wrong for politicians from other political parties to root for MIC candidates campaigning in the divisional elections. The question was in light of a police report lodged recently by an MIC member alleging that a non-MIC state assemblyman was helping an MIC candidate.

"But If he were to go to the voting centre and ask people to vote for someone, that is wrong," said Samy, who is also Works Minister.