MIC Elections: ‘I want love, not popularity’
(Bernama) KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said yesterday that he was not popular, and whatever he had done and was doing for the Indian community was not aimed at becoming a popular leader.
"I am not popular… I do not work to become popular. I work for the people," he said when asked to comment on the speech by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in opening the MIC annual general assembly.
Najib reminded all Barisan Nasional component party leaders that it was pointless for them to be popular only with their members but not with the people, to the extent of losing the people's support.
"I am not a man who wants to be popular among the people. But I want to be loved by them (people) for my services and contributions," Samy Vellu said on the sidelines of the general assembly.
The former minister also said that the Indian community did not vote for BN in the last general election because they were fed-up with it and not with him.
"We cannot forget one important point… the Indian community was wounded for many years. No approaches (were made) by the government to see what was the problem. Now they (the government) are very interested to see something done. If we had done it five, 10 or 15 years ago, what is happening today would not have happened," he said.
Earlier, in his speech to the delegates, Samy Vellu said the BN must fulfil the people's expectations collectively and not individually.
"The people only see us as BN and the 1Malaysia government. So let us partner to prosper the people."
Samy Vellu said Najib had put in place a proper mechanism for the implementation of programmes for the Indian community.
"There is now greater confidence in the BN," he said, adding that many decisions were being made through the Cabinet Committee for Indians.
He also said that the MIC had proposed a Scheduled Investment Trust Fund be formed by the government for the Indian community to achieve the three per cent equity target by 2020.
"The current equity position of Indians is only 1.1 per cent. We need to increase this by 1.9 per cent to achieve the three per cent target by 2020."
He also proposed that the intake of Indians into the civil service be expedited to achieve the 7.4 per cent quota for Indians set by the government.
