I wonder what Tun Samy Vellu think of his son, Vell Pari’s statement yesterday virtually condemning his father’s 29-year political legacy as Federal Minister from 1979-2008.

In his article, “Poser for Dr M’s ‘cheerleader’ – What did ex-PM do for Indians?”, Vell Pari, who is now MIC Treasurer, defended Datuk Seri Najib Razak as “Father of Indian Development” and castigated Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s 22-year premiership and said that the time has come for the government to “revamp the policies of the yester-year dictator”.

He asked what Tun Mahathir had done for the Indians as Prime Minister of Malaysia and posed three questions:

1. Who caused the reduction of Indians within the civil service?

2. Who caused the systematic displacement of Indians from estates and into downtrodden longhouses and shackles they were forced to live in?

3. Who initiated the unfair intake into universities?

These are valid questions, but the best person to answer these questions is none other than Vell Pari’s father, Tun Samy Vellu, who was Federal Minister representing MIC and the Indian community during the whole period of 22 years when Mahathir was Prime Minister – in fact Samy Vellu was Federal Minister before Mahathir became Prime Minister and long after Mahathir had retired as Prime Minister!

Let Vell Pari state clearly and categorically whether he is repudiating the political legacy of his father regarding it as a “dark chapter” in the history of Malaysian Indians in Malaysia, and if so, why is Samy Vellu continuing as Malaysia’s Special Envoy on Infrastrcuture to India and South Asia?

Furthermore, is Vell Pari of the view that his father does not deserve the Tun-ship he was conferred on 9th September in conjunction with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V’s birthday celebrations?

Is Vell Pari being unfilial just to pursue his own political fortunes at the expense of his father?

Let Tun Samy Vellu speak up!