Is Samy prepared to go in repentance to Cabinet tomorrow to admit marginalisation of Malaysian Indians?


The more MIC President and Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu speaks, the more he ties himself up in circles.

For instance, his recent statement calling on Indian community not to fall into despair highlight his failure as the sole Malaysian Indian Cabinet Minister for more than 28 years to ensure that Malaysian Indians enjoy an equal place under the Malaysian sun.

In making the appeal to the Indian community “not to fall into despair”, Samy Vellu admitted that he was aware that many Indians were dissatisfied with several matters such as employment and promotions, especially in the public sector. This was reported by New Straits Times yesterday which carried the headline “Samy Vellu wants to hear views of Indian youths”.

Can Samy Vellu explain why after three decades as the sole Malaysian Indian Minister in Cabinet, large swathes of the Malaysian Indian community have “fallen into despair” as illustrated by the unprecedented gathering of 30,000 Indians all over the country who congregated in Kuala Lumpur in response to the Hindraf rally on November 25, which I explained in Parliament the very next day as the “cry of desperation” of Malaysian Indians at their long-standing political, economic, educational, social, cultural and religious marginalization in being the new underclass in Malaysia?

But Samy Vellu has taken the public stance of denying that there is any marginalization of the Malaysian Indians, which he reiterated to the Indian media in his highly-humiliating visit to India recently where he was snubbed repeatedly by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi both in Chennai and New Delhi.

If Samy Vellu could admit that there are Malaysian Indians who are “falling into despair”, why is he not prepared to admit that the very cause of this “community despair” is none other than the long-standing marginalization of the Malaysian Indians by MIC and Barisan Nasional policies?

[The Samy Vellu jinx strikes again, preventing the uploading of the second part of this statement]

Three years ago, Samy Vellu was prepared to admit to the problem of the marginalization of the Malaysian Indians. Why is he not prepared to make such an admission now although the marginalization process had worsened in the past three years?

In the first parliamentary meeting after the 2004 general election, DAP MP for Ipoh Barat M. Kula Segaran and I had proposed to Samy Vellu that a Parliamentary Select Committee on the Marginalisation of the Malaysian Indians should be established to find a solution to the crisis faced by Malaysian Indians which should be regarded as a Malaysian problem and not just an Indian problem.

In June 2004, when Samy Vellu and I were attending a meeting of the Parliamentary Selection Committee, I handed him an official letter proposing the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee on the Marginalisation of the Malaysian Indians and asked him to take the issue to the Cabinet for approval. I suggested to Samy Vellu that he be the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee to highlight the issue of marginalization of Malaysian Indians and to propose a masterplan to eradicate it.

[Identified – one paragraph here (which could not be uploaded) which caused the Samy Vellu jinx. Leave it to IT exorcists to solve this mystery]

What is most significant was that when I handed the letter and proposal to him in June 2004, he raised no objection whatsoever and even commended the proposal as a good one.

This could only meant that in June 2004, Samy Vellu agreed that the Malaysian Indians faced the problem of marginalization. Why has Samy Vellu done a somersault and is now denying that Indians in Malaysia have become a new underclass because of marginalization – although he admits that the plight of the Indian community is so desperate that it is pushing many Indians into despair?

Is Samy Vellu prepared to go in repentance to the Cabinet tomorrow to admit that the MIC and Barisan Nasional policies had failed and marginalized the Malaysian Indians, and that it is this long-standing marginalization which is the reason for the 30,000-people Hindraf gathering in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 25 and that the Cabinet must formulate and announce a New Deal Policy to give justice and fair play to the marginalized Indians?

  1. #1 by Tickler on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:01 pm

    Kuala Lumpur, Jan 14 (IANS) The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) has denied the charge that its chief S. Samy Vellu and his family members were involved in a conspiracy leading to the gunning down of party leader S. Krishnasamy.
    http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=63856

  2. #2 by Kit on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:05 pm

    The following paragragh (the fourth last para) is the one which caused the Samy Vellu jinx – why I do not know:

    At the time, Samy Vellu told Kula and I that it was a good proposal and that he would take it up to the Cabinet. I have not heard from him on the issue in the past three years and I do not know whether he had tabled the proposal in Cabinet and it got shot down or whether he never raised it in Cabinet at all.

  3. #3 by disapointed86 on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:08 pm

    The main reason probably because fearing of losing his job loh..just carry the balls of UMNO/BN?? his first priority is his job(selfish) and BN(GOV)…as a leader of MIC…his priority should be taking care of the INDIAN COMMUNITY…i guess he already neglected his duties long ago..now he deny that indian in Malaysia are marginalised..who will trust him man? not to say i hate him..EVEN the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi refused to meet him recently during his “MEANINGLESS” trip to INDIA..Resign SAMI…

  4. #4 by Tickler on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:09 pm

    Johor MIC chief’s personal assistant held

    JOHOR BARU: The personal assistant of state MIC chairman Datuk K.S. Balakrishnan has been picked up by police to facilitate investigations into the assassination of Johor MIC deputy chairman Datuk S. Krishnasamy.
    http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/15/nation/20009835&sec=nation

  5. #5 by Tickler on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:13 pm

    At the time, Samy Vellu told Kula and I that it was a good proposal and that he would take it up to the Cabinet. I have not heard from him on the issue in the past three years – Kit

    He couldn`t possibly tell the cabinet of its origin – it would be infra dignitatum. He would have used it as a `reference book` for some nonsense that he would put under his own name.
    Something like those cases of plagiarization. Should have copyrighted it.

  6. #6 by Tickler on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:19 pm

    “Is Samy Vellu prepared to go in repentance to the Cabinet tomorrow to admit that the MIC and Barisan Nasional policies had failed and marginalized the Malaysian Indians..”

    More likely he`ll have to apologize and grovel for that NDTV interview where he practically absolved hindraf, and admitted the Govt had no proof of its terror activities, thus embarassing the BN.
    And he`ll promise to be a very good boy. On the other hand he`ll try to get a medical certificate and stay at home instead of facing the DPM who`ll preside over the cabinet meeting in the absence of the PM.

  7. #7 by Saint on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:23 pm

    Over you dead body, Saudara Lim.

  8. #8 by ahoo on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:40 pm

    “Is Samy Vellu prepared to go in repentance to the Cabinet tomorrow to admit that the MIC and Barisan Nasional policies
    had failed and marginalized the Malaysian Indians..” kit

    When someone thinks that he can do no wrong, surely there
    will be no repentance ! Many times the blame was even
    accorded to God, ….. acts of God as claimed by him.

    Surely a bad tree cannot bears good fruits and for him to
    admit, no, never from him with pride and arrogance. For
    defilement comes from within. Just let him take a much
    needed long rest and others who are more capable than
    him to take over MIC.

  9. #9 by k1980 on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:46 pm

    Not only is Samy Vellu prepared to go in repentance to the Cabinet tomorrow to admit that the MIC and BN policies had failed and marginalized the Malaysian Indians, he is also going to Sri Lanka to join the LTTE as a suicide bomber

  10. #10 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:50 pm

    Hello, Samy does not have to apologise to the Cabinet for the marginalisation of the Indians. RAther, Samy must go before all MAlaysian Indians and creep & crawl to symbolically signify his penitence.

    No, the Cabinet does not need an apology because they were, in all probability, in cahoots in this ‘scheme’ of marginalisation, whether inadvertently or not. The innocent throngs of Malaysian Indians who suffered for the last 3 decades deserve not only a mere apology but a programme of remedial action that will restore their pride and grant their people the same rights accorded to others under the Malaysian sun!

  11. #11 by chai on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:54 pm

    so this coming election all malaysian indians know how to vote for right? vote for opposition!!!

  12. #12 by boh-liao on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:58 pm

    Question: Will Indian voters dare to put an X against a non-BN candidate in the coming GE?

  13. #13 by Tickler on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 6:59 pm

    HINDRA 5 ISA detainees are united and continue to fight

    15th January 08

    We are not disunited, we will continue fight and will fast on January 21st…

    The five Hindraf detainees – P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, M. Manoharan, R. Kenghadharan and T. Vasantha Kumar – deny they are split and promise to fight united for the better of the Indian community during a meeting with their lawyers on January 15, 2008.

    They deny rumours and reports that they were not on talking terms with each other and that one or more of them will admit to terrorist allegations. They denied they have any problem among themselves and reject any such suggesitons as lies. They are resolved to fight for the betterment of the Indian community and have not wavered in any way to any of the demands made to the government in particular the 18 point demand. They will also fast from january 21 to 28th and urged all Malaysians to fast with them for the betterment of the Indian community.
    http://kula.blogsome.com/2008/01/15/hindra-5-isa-detainees-are-united-and-continue-to-fight/

  14. #14 by Tickler on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 7:01 pm

    Also:

    8) NO mercy for vegetarian. (In the case of R.Kengatheran who is a vegetarian and who eats only Chapatti as his staple food this is not provided to him. When asked, the Pengarah says the rules does not state any where that Chapatti has to be provided thus many days he goes on without eating. Kenga said “if the government knows how to detain me it should also know how to feed me”)

  15. #15 by Tickler on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 7:02 pm

    I dunno how that `smiley` appeared. It was cut n paste from Kula`s blog.

  16. #16 by Tickler on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 7:03 pm

    Finally the 5 detainees collectively gave a signed, written sign statement which reads as follows: “We the undersigned hereby confirm that beginning from 21st January, 2008 till 28th January 2008 all 5 detainees will go on Hunger strike for the following reasons.

    i) the detention of the 5 is unlawful and unconstitutional and against the universal declaration of Human Rights

    ii The demands made by HINDRAF for the restoration of the Indian rights must be immediately enforced and

    iii) Seek divine intervention. Finally in the event any untoward were to befall on any one of us we hold the following parties responsible i) Prime Minister of Malaysia
    ii) Government of Malaysia ;
    iii) The silent majority referred to by the PM

  17. #17 by HJ Angus on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 7:17 pm

    Getting him to admit is like getting the government to admit that 35 plus years of NEP have been a major scam to enrich themselves and their cronies.

    Coming so near the elections, such an act would be akin to committing political hara kiri.

  18. #18 by bodohlandcitizen on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 7:22 pm

    Honestly, sincerely, I think that Samy Vellu should just shut-up. He made filthy blunder out of general Indians already and now he’s trying to make all wrongs to be right. This A__H____ should just commit suicide himself from the Indians political scene. There’s no points going around on nationwide tour telling all Indians more lies.

  19. #19 by sani on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 8:15 pm

    YB

    Who doesn’t know the Malaysia’s policy of racial discrimination? Even a brain damaged will know, leave alone when we are not. The population as a whole knows it, but are too timid to say it + admit it.

    It is never eazy to run a multi racial country anywhere, the BN make it impossible here. Everyone in the BN is responsible for running down our country. Everyone in the BN is a Samy Velu.

    Racial + Religious hatred, the degress of mentality due to the wated down education system, the outflow of monies + capital, the poor state of our health system,corruption on all level of society + etcs, can kill our people + the country if left unchecked. No one else bear more responsiblitiy for all these ills, than the BN.

    We been con + dupe into believing that we are different + only the BN, which is a collection of racist thieves can save us. They been doing a Samy Velu on us for far too long.

    Time to be brave + stop the rot. Vote + campaign wisely……..Just do it…… for Malaysia.

  20. #20 by mendela on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 8:30 pm

    Kit, I hope you take the needed safty precautions to prevent any unexpected events.

    Pressing too hard on such bunch of crooks might have severe consequences.

    We Malaysians sure don’t want you to be silenced prematurely.
    What about put on a bullet-proof vest when you are on the road?

    Is your house equiped with CCTV?

    Any thing unfortunate to happen to you and I am sure Malaysia will face a big riot!

  21. #21 by DarkHorse on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 9:30 pm

    Samy Vellu is obviously a liability to his own party.

    It is like the MIC having been exposed to brutally cold weather and now suffers from frost bite. Four of five toes may have to be amputated to save the leg. The big toe is Samy Vellu. Without the big toe, the body would find it hard to balance and may fall.

  22. #22 by Tickler on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 9:39 pm

    Yikes! That reminds me of those zombies.

  23. #23 by Anba on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 10:28 pm

    Uncle Lim,
    I think it’s a little unfair to ask only Samy Vellu to repent for the marginalization of the Indian and other minority community. We need the following to repent also:

    1. V.T. Sambanthan – The late former MIC president during the approval of NEP in 1970 who was in office from 1955 – 1973
    2. Tan Siew Sin – The late former MCA president during the approval of NEP in 1970 who was in office from 1961 – 1974
    3. Abdul Razak – Our late former PM who was instrumental in the birth of NEP in 1070 who was in office from 1970 – 1976.
    4. Dr. Mahathir Muhammad – Our former PM who approved the continuation of the NEP in 1990 ( the year the NEP should have been dissolved)
    5. Samy Vellu – Current MIC president who was present when the NEP was continued in 1990. Instead of protesting the discontinuation of the NEP, he stayed silent and sold his soul to the marginalization of the Malaysian government.

    Of course the fomer leaders who have passed away should be left alone in peace. Those who are alive must repent and ask for forgiveness to the public. If it’s too embarassing to apologize in the public, they should ask for forgiveness to the Almighty personally. That would be a sure way to redeem their lost soul.

    May God bless Malaysia.

  24. #24 by Anba on Tuesday, 15 January 2008 - 10:33 pm

    Uncle Lim,
    I’ve forgotten to include former MCA president, Ling Liong Sik, who was holding office from 1986 till 2003, where he was too kept quiet when the NEP was continued in 1990 ( when it should have been discontinued).

    Do you think all these people should repent and not only Samy Vellu. Of course I’m not only referring to the marginalization of the Indians but all sectors of Malaysian citizens.

    May God bless Malaysia.

  25. #25 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 - 1:01 am

    Samy Vellu to go in repentance to the Cabinet for marginalisation of Indians? I expect if he really had the guts to say the truth, he would sooner would ask the cabinet/govt of Malaysia dominated by UMNO to repent first instead. As you said, after three decades he is the sole Malaysian Indian Minister in Cabinet, so what voice has he got?

    As I said in earlier threads, roughly the elite 20% here control more than 51% of the nation’s wealth; 40% are middle classes and balance of 40% are the down trodden poor of all races (Malay, Indian Chinese in Peninsula) and various groups in East Malaysia.

    The 40% bottom rung of all races are neglected by the representatives of UMNO, MCA and MIC in government. Of this UMNO takes the bigger blame since it has dominant say in government policies including NEP, shutting up the rest depending on its little mercies in distribution of crumbs of patronage, whether govt positions or contracts….

    The small men are not looked after in overall macro picture of the rural urban drift occurring world wide but in Malaysia there are certain exceptional features:-

    – The position of poor rural Malays in this drift is buffered by the FELDA/FELCRA schemes; many stayed behind because they were given agricultural lands which later made them prosperous when they appreciated in values due to development. Those who left countryside and came to towns were employed/absorbed in civil service GLCs controlled by UMNO govt. Even Mat Rempits are given some jobs and perks by govt.

    – Although there are also poor Chinese, many Chinese were, in the beginning, not working in countryside (as in padi fields like Malays or rubber plantations as the Indians) but smaller towns in which they owned properties and did some business and had a bit of assets. For those who didn’t, when they drifted to the cities they could still rely on their entrepreneurial culture and habits to eke out a living, for example doing small businesses or peddling VCDs (like Chua Soi Lek DVDs)!

    Historically and culturally the Indians had a problem because during Colonial times they were indentured labour, they did not own lands (unlike Malay of their paddy fields and small holdings and Chinese some properties in small towns or small holdings in outskirts).

    After independence many Indians still worked in rubber plantations handed down by British but rubber industry phased off in the 1980s and was superseded by palm oil which by then the Malay dominated govt and corporates took control of large tracts of estates taken over from British Sime Darby/Guthrie etc….The Indian workers were displaced from their traditional livelihood at the estates by housing development expanding out from the cities and from advent of cheap foreign labour coming in….

    In early 1970s, 80% of Malaysian Indians were still in rural plantations with 20% in cities however now it is a reversal of 80% in the cities/towns with 20% in the plantations/rural areas (Statistics advised to me by senior civil servants).

    Amongst the races, the Indians experienced the greatest shift in rural and urban drift and reversal of population and thereby suffered the greatest dislocation and the sharpest pains of adjustment. Their education in plantations did not equip them the skills to prosper in the cities; unlike Malays they had no FELDA/FELCRA’s land schemes to give them a reason to stay back and something to prosper. Unlike the underclass Chinese counterpart who could rely on their cultural entrepreneurial sense to do, for example, VCD business (legal or illegal) in the cities, the Indians evicted from plantations did not have this interest or background. Other Indians dominating civil service in the past (something like 30% at the time after independence) now dwindle to something like 5% in the Civil service when more and more Malays were taken in. So what does one expect these underclass dislocated Indians to do in the cities when they could not eke out a decent living and not given jobs by both Malay and Chinese owned businesses, whether due to lack of skill or prejudice?

    Many turn to gangsterism and crime; others loiter around in despair and that is why even though Hindraf organizers had little skills in organizing demonstration, they were surprised that they could rally suddenly so many (30,000?) demonstrators at the moment’s notice!

    This phenomenon of rural urban drift, dislocation when many were displaced from the estates happened in span of last 20 – 30 years. No one (other a few academics) had the prescience to take notice to address the potential sociological problem looming ahead for Malaysian Indians.

    In these decades, they were neglected by, of course, MIC leaders & Samy Vellu but they were also neglected by UMNO, MCA, Gerakan, DAP and other opposition parties – just about everyone forgetting or unaware of their plight. If there were some in MIC who did, what voice have they got in the government? How many Indian Ministers had been appointed?

    UMNO, MCA, Gerakan elites were more interested in developing corporate wealth in the cities (MIC, Maika Holdings, MCA Multipurose, the cooperatives, UMNO North South Highway via UEM, Renong etc!

    The particular circumstances of the Indian Community and plight of itsd underclass have been exacerbated by failed government policies; the NEP/FELDA & FELCRA by passed this group that unlike the Chinese underclass do not take so easily to alternative of small businesses in the towns and cities….A culture of Corruption pervading kept the tap of foreign labour open and flowing into the countryside and palm oil plantations to displace some more this group.

    Commenter Anba above said the nearest to the truth, that if one wants to blame Samy Vellu, then apportion blame too to the likes of V.T. Sambanthan, Tan Siew Sin, Dr Mahathir and the various PMs for failed government policies and the NEP that instead of restructuring wealth to help the underclass of all races, aggravated the income disparity gap hurting the Indian underclass most extensively, without buffer of land schemes available to Malay underclass and business opportunities to the Chinese underclass.

    The rest of Indians (not from rural plantations) are not that marginalized in the comparative sense when one recalls Indians are well or over represented in the professions especially that of law and medicine and amongst the rich there are the likes of Doshi, Gill in the past, Ananthan Krishnan and Tony Fernandez of the present!

    Whilst focusing on underclass of Indians brought to attention by Hindraf, we are forgetting another real underclass – the various communities huddled in villages and rivers in Sabah and Sarawak…..

    What I have commented here are generalisations taking the broad view of the problem.

  26. #26 by Count Dracula on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 - 2:45 am

    The truth is marginalization of ethnic minorities is a universal phenomenon – not a uniquely Malaysian experience. It is an aspect of the social change taking place in societies with ethnic minorities.

    It is when marginalization occurs as a result of government policies or government induced policies or absence of policies to bring such ethnic minorities into mainstream society that the issue takes on political overtones. When it does it is always best for the national leadership to formulate policies to deal with this aspect of the social change.

    In the case of Malaysia the issue is caught up in the politics of race that it encourages which makes marginalization a volatile issue.

  27. #27 by Colonel on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 - 4:41 am

    “Why has Samy Vellu done a somersault …” YB Kit

    Could he be practicing for the Olympics?

  28. #28 by silent_politics on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 - 6:28 am

    Uncle,
    Been here for quite sometime, but only now decided to register.

    One way to solve the Samy’s uploading jinx is to avoid using his full name in ur post. Probably might just use Sammy.

  29. #29 by Bigjoe on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 - 8:24 am

    I think the point here is that its because Samy Vellu cannot admit the marginalization of Indian partly because he can’t and partly because he don’t want to.

    Samy Vellu greatest cover given by the PM is that the Cabinet have frank discussion but we don’t know. No one knows how true this is. Like Chua Soi Lek’s sex video, if it can proven there are more instances of Samy Vellu giving up than fighting for Indians then he has to go. After 30 years as a minister, if Samy Vellu cannot prove himself not-guilty, then its time for him to go. Its time to stop letting BN use the ‘better-than-Zimbabwe’ crap and Samy Vellu especially.

    This is the point, if Samy Vellu is not guilty then he should be able to say what Sdr. Lim is proposing. If not, he is guilty and has to go. period.

  30. #30 by Cinnamon on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 - 8:31 am

    Yesterday Samy Velu came on TV, it was Ponggal Day and MIC had organized the ponggal celebration at KL Tower.

    Guess what? The number of people who came was very pathetic. The cameraman tried to avoid to show the turn out was extremely poor, but it was unavoidable. I think only the immediate famliy members of the MIC top leaders were there.

    Then Samy Velu spoke on TV. His message was;
    . Only MIC has fought for Indian rights.
    . Only MIC care for Indians.
    . Only in the soul of MIC the concern for Indians is there.
    . He mentioned Anwar’s and Lim Kit Siang’s name. Telling the audience these people cannot be trusted. Now they are talking sweet before GE is near, now they are putting sugar in the mouth, but later will put sand.

    My response is this. Samy Velu has buried Malaysia Indians alive and it makes no difference if someone put sugar or sand in the mouth. Poh dahhhhhhhhh. Just get lost.

    We are not stupid. For a long time Indians in Malaysia know we are marginalized, but we had no options, but now we have options. We are going to kick MIC candidates in the butt. Wait and see, we will prove it to you.

  31. #31 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 - 9:00 am

    Who has burden of proof? Samy to prove his innocence of defending his comunity rights but to no avail being the sole voice or we to prove his guilt that he never opend his moth? :)

  32. #32 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 - 9:00 am

    ..”open his mouth…”

  33. #33 by Godfather on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 - 12:13 pm

    There is no chance we can prove that he never opened his mouth. Semi is one person who is never short of words, and even the judiciary knows that !

  34. #34 by Evenmind on Wednesday, 16 January 2008 - 12:19 pm

    Samy somersaulted because he had to much to loose ,cause he is corrupt pervert, the dickmaestro did not want upset the soiled puteras (UMNO) , he dont give two hoods to the Indian community , his only objective is to hang on to power as long as possible and continue making as much hay he can cos he intends to to take all the ill gotten gains to hell when he dies, The Indian community in Malaysia do not have a true representative, Badawi, pls don’t moan when the crime rate is rising, this is your government wrongdoing, what goes around comes around, if your gomen treat certain people like $hit, then expect the outcome ,slowly , but surely the chickens will come home to roost, have a dooms day.

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