‘The Indians will not accept MIC involvement in this and if Samy wants to gain ground with the Indians, then there are many other things that he has to do first.’
On Samy calls for Hindraf 5's release
Mr Sensible: Samy Vellu wants to gain mileage from the Indian community. The five should not accept the offer to be released as the whole cause of what they stood for would be lost. The Indians will not accept MIC involvement in this and if Samy wants to gain ground with the Indians, then there are many things that he has to correct and do for the poor Indians first.
Francis T Rozario: Samy can have no credit for the release of the Hindraf 5 and if they are released, is it is because you cannot detain five persons whom you can't charge. In fact, they have done nothing and this will weigh down on Samy Vellu and the government now and in the future. The longer you hold them, the longer it becomes and issue and the more support Hindraf will gather. The government will make a legend out of Hindraf and they will live for eternity.
The Silent Saint: What does Samy Velu think of Malaysian Indian? Imbeciles who would swallow everything you throw at them? May be his ever faithful MIC goons would dance to all his ridiculous tunes but not the dynamic, self-motivated and independent Malaysians of the post -Samy Vellu era.
We don’t need him to talk to his PM who is waiting to be removed from the Malaysian political scenario soon. The sacrifices by these five true Malaysians will be understood by all and they will be freed soon. Let’s just keep praying that they will remain healthy and remain focused.
Jane: I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. Each time you think Samy has reached the pinnacle of hypocricy, lies and arrogance, he pushes the bar even higher. The man has lost all credibility and must go. If MIC members don't kick him out, well, they've got the leader they deserve.
Trouble is, I really don't think anyone else within that party has any more credibility. Maybe the best thing is for members to resign en masse and join the opposition. At this point, the idea of disbanding MIC looks like an increasingly attractive option.
Nidi: Samy should apologise to all Indians for arrogantly denying the problems faced by Indians and condemning the work of Hindraf. Just say sorry to God first then everyone else. Stop this arrogance and in your old age be humble, stop fighting or challenging and lend a helping hand with your experience and money. Beside the MIC candidates, remember there are 20 more YBs in Parliament who will take care of the Indians. You can do better - become a philantropist.
R Rama Chandran: The rakyat expected the release of the five Hindraf leaders before the election knowing that the wrath of the rakyat was against BN. Unfortunately, the PM did not respond or pretended not to know the anti-BN groundswell. There is no basis in their continued detention as whatever that was said of them - ‘traitors, security threats etc’ have been proven to be rubbish.
Last evening, I attended a thanksgiving function by BR at my constituency. The Malays, Indians and Chinese were chanting ‘ Hidup BR! Hidup Makkal Shakti! Hidup Hindraf! With full of enthusiasm. So Pak Lah, please change and release the five innocent professionals immediately.
Senior Malaysian: The detention of the Hindraf 5 has met with displeasure by the rakyat . As the general election is just over, the prime minister should initiate their immediate release. The medicine for healing is now in your hands as the prime minister.
The MIC is one of the main culprits for the bad showing of BN in the recent general election. Anyway, our Samy Vellu is gone with the wind. The PM should not waste any more time but release the Hindraf 5 unconditionally and get on with the running of the country. By this gesture of his, he would regain the respect and cooperation from the various races.
Jamesksl: This wily old fox sure knows how to twist and turn. He also said 'I will not beg anymore, enough of begging for that and this.'. Okay Samy, so please video tape your meeting with the PM on your call for the Hindraf 5's release and show us whether you were begging or demanding.
Santhiren Marimuthu: I'm glad the MIC president S Samy Vellu has finally realised that the arrest of Hindraf 5 is not fair, and they should be reunited with their family immediately. What saddens me is that he had to wait for the families of Manoharan and Kengadharan to first approach him for assistance. Nevertheless, I would congratulate Samy Vellu, for coming out from the denial mode which has caused him ministership and also for seeming to accept the message sent by community.
Now the MIC president - if he really means what he says - should go all out to secure unconditional release of the Hindraf five. Finally, if the PM chooses to not to listen to you Samy, what will be your next action sir? He has not listened to you so far, has he?
Bangsa Malaysia: Samy Vellu should seek to secure the freedom of the five Hindraf detainees not so much because he was approached by their families but to decide for himself as a leader, whether the detainees were justifiably incarcerated. He should not only look into the plight of the five Hindraf detainees but also all others who are wrongly detained under the draconian ISA.
He must first believe that the charges is without any basis before he seeks to fight for the charges to be dropped. Otherwise he is doing disfavour to all Malaysian. Samy Vellu, be a leader for all Malaysian and do not to play God. Give us transparency and good governance. Otherwise, step down for some else to play this role.
On MIC's top agenda: Rebranding through rejuvenation
Venugopal Chinayah: I feel the Indians are more then willing to dump race politics for a better future as Malaysian first then Indian. The MIC has had 50 years to help the Indians and it failed to deliver on any of its promises. Samy and gang need to realise that keeping the Indians separated from mainstream society isn’t going to help them achieve anything. It doesn’t take rocket science to understand that MIC is past its expiry date for most Indian Malaysians.
Mrmr: The Indians have voted out the MIC and its candidates in the12th Gen Election. As such, its leader S Samy Vellu should take responsibility and resign. The community does not need him or his son in the political arena anymore. He has cheated the Indians through Maika Holdings, the Telekom shares, Koperasi Nesa and many more.
We professionals do not need the MIC or its cronies to protect our rights. We need people like the Hindraf 5. Samy Vellu, please resign with Palanivel. Otherwise, we will hold a protest to remove you from office.
Capt: Samy Vellu is not relevant anymore to this world, let alone to the Indian Malaysians. We will not be duped into listening to his woeful dramas anymore. Since he has acted in dramas in his earlier days, he should concentrate on producing more cartoon stories with his cronies rather than trying to unite the Indians.
Vijayan: The latest form S Samy Vellu is his denial that he was voted out and that his loss can be attributed to the unhappiness of the rakyat with Barisan Nasional and not him personally.
This is a leader who was supposed to be representing the Indians and Barisan in the elections. He failed to listen, much less understand the plight of his people. Now when facing failure, he turns around and blames everyone else. Do we need leaders like this? If he is a good leader, he should accept that he was instrumental in the poor results of the MIC in the elections.
This man, does not know how to accept defeat gracefully. Samy, be magnanimous and move on. He and so-called leaders like Dato Subra are making a farce of the whole thing. One day they quarrel and the next day they are good friends. Is this the kind of leaders we need? They enrich themselves and give us nothing much in return and then claim to represent us in the fight for our rights. It's a shame that these people even exist.
David&Goliath: If the government allows Tun Dr Mahathir’s challenge to go without an appropriate response, and an immediate one at that, the current prime minister might as well throw in his towel and go on a holiday. Shame on the government if it does not respond.
Ihsan: Malaysians should fully support the call to the government to set up a royal commission on the sacking of Lord President Tun Salleh Abas in 1988. As all have acknowledged, the current judicial debacles started from this episode. With most of the people involved still alive including Dr M, Tun Hamid, Tun Salleh etc, let’s get to the bottom of it and clear up the issue and correct our history book so that our children are not misled.
Mr Sense: Tun Dr. Mahathir is, as usual, trying to get out of this mess that everybody knows was created by him. Nobody is questioning the legality of the tribunal. What people have questioned all these years is whether the course of action to appoint a tribunal was done with a clear moral conscience and with honest conviction. At the end of the day, Tun must know that he is answerable to God. If the Tun has nothing to worry about, he should recommend that the government appoint a royal commission.
David Yoong: Malaysiakini should ride on the momentum of these retorts by Mahathir to further probe and interview the members of the tribunal which dismissed former Lord President Tun Salleh Abbas, and subsequently the Supreme Court judges, Wan Sulaiman Pawanteh and George Seah. The published findings would ascertain any interference from the top. This whole issue is so important to restore the image of the judiciary in this country.
On another point, it is interesting to note Mahathir saying: ‘Unless there is a frame-up, I think there should be nothing to pin on me’. It strikes me that if Mahathir is standing on principled grounds and was sure of no wrong-doing, then he should give a totally affirmative and committed statement. Or is he expressing his doubts that he may not have hidden his tracks well?
There is a Chinese saying that goes: ‘If the beam on top is not straight, the ones at the bottom surely would be crooked’.
Malaysian: It is funny that Mahathir has suddenly got his memory back. He can now so vividly recall who was Zaid Ibrahim and what he did back in 1988. Very amusing. The ills of this country are all legacies of his one-man rule but he will unashamedly claim that every decision was a collective decision by his cabinet! Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should seriously consider appointing foreign experts to investigate all Mahathir’s misdeeds. Or has he cleverly concealed them to be brave enough to suggest that he may be investigated?
