Saturday May 9, 2009
MIC: Decision will boost country’s image
KUALA LUMPUR: The release of the ISA detainees will do well for the image of the country, both locally and internationally, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said.
He said the Government showed concern and humility in releasing them.
“We can now move on and concentrate on more pressing matters to bring progress to the people,” he said.
Samy Vellu said the Prime Minister and the Home Minister had shown sensitivity to the suffering of the families of the ISA detainees by releasing them so that they could be reunited with their loved ones.
“Our Prime Minister has kept his promise to be a fair leader to all Malaysians,” he said.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk T. Murugiah said in Seremban that he had previously met Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who was then Deputy Prime Minister, on the possible release of the Hindraf leaders.
“I appealed to Najib for their release and he told me that he would consider it when the time was right. Today, he has proven to be a good leader for keeping his word,” he said.
Murugiah said the trend of the Indians throwing their support for Barisan Nasional was already evident during recent by-elections.
“With the release of the three, the Indians would return to the Barisan fold,” he added.
MIC secretary-general and Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said he was grateful to the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Government for releasing the 13 detainees.
“It shows that the Government is people-centred,” he said.
MIC Youth adviser S. Vell Paari said the release of Hindraf leaders would put an end to a sad chapter in the Malaysian Indian affairs.
“It would heal the hearts of the Indians as their detention was bothering them,” he said in a statement.
Vell Paari, who is chairman of the MIC Unity Committee, said MIC had still a lot of work to attract the support of Indians to the party.
MIC Youth coordinator T. Mohan hoped the release of the detainees would lead to the Indians returning en masse to support MIC.
Malaysia Hindu Council president Datuk R. Nadarajah said the council believed that the Government under Najib would bring about more changes and benefits for the people.
DAP chairman Karpal Singh quipped in Ipoh that the ISA should be “pensioned” off, adding that the three Hindraf leaders should not even have been detained.
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