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Published: Friday September 18, 2009 MYT 12:53:00 PM
Updated: Friday September 18, 2009 MYT 3:28:19 PM

Samy Vellu is a liability to Barisan, says Dr M (Update)


PUTRAJAYA: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu will become a liability to the Barisan Nasional in the next general election because his leadership has failed, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

The former prime minister said he was worried that the people's support for the Barisan would erode and the coalition would be the victim because Samy Vellu was still leading the MIC.

Samy Vellu must step down as party president because he must take responsibility for the party's failure in the last general election and for his own loss, Tun Dr Mahathir said in an interview with Bernama.

"If we look at other countries, whenever a leader fails, he resigns. In Japan he commits harakiri. We're not asking him (Samy Vellu) to commit harakiri.

"You (Samy Vellu) have failed to lead the MIC until you yourself lost," he said.

Citing the example of former prime minsiter Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who resigned after his poor performance, Tun Dr Mahathir said: "Samy Vellu performed worse than Pak Lah (Abdullah) but he did not want to relinquish the post.

"He should have resigned before things got to this stage."

He said he had a right to criticise anyone for the sake of the Barisan, and added: "I've criticised Pak Lah, who's Samy Vellu that I cannot criticise?"

Tun Dr Mahathir's criticism of Samy Vellu before the MIC elections last week was seen as an attempt to interfere in MIC affairs and had raised the ire of a delegate who suggested that a garland of slippers be placed on his portrait.

Tun Dr Mahathir said leaders must realise that the post they held was not for life.

"This is not directed at Samy Vellu alone because there are others who are like him," he added.

He said he had wanted to resign in 1998 but, because of the economic and the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim issue, had to continue leading the nation until 2003.

"I resigned not when people criticised me. I resigned because I had stayed too long.

"Malaysian leaders still do not understand that when they fail they should resign of their own volition, no need for others to tell them. When you fail, your party fails. You are responsible," he said.

Asked what the Barisan could do in view of its principle not to interfere in the affairs of component parties, he said that when the matter became a problem for the Barisan, the coalition would become the victim if it did not intervene.

He said Barisan leaders must admonish Samy Vellu because as Barisan leaders they were responsible not only for the performance of their own parties but also that of the Barisan as a whole.

"If I know that a person will cause the Barisan to lose, that is already a Barisan problem, no longer an MIC problem. We cannot keep saying don't interfere. This is a Barisan affair. Because of him, the Barisan lost.

"Previously there was no Hindraf. Now there are scores (of pressure groups from the Indian community.) It's him that the people don't want but he still wants to be president," he added.

He said leaders who resorted to money, pressure, abuse of power and threats could remain as party presidents but would not win elections.

On Samy Vellu's chosen leaders winning the party elections last week, Tun Dr Mahathir said they could win party elections but would lose in general elections because the people would not support them.

He also criticised Samy Vellu for not playing a role to stop the building of temples without approval despite having promised to do so.

He said Samy Vellu became popular because he (Tun Dr Mahathir) had helped him.

"He wanted to build a university, I persuaded the government to give a RM50mil allocation and I've helped in many more of his projects," he said.

Reflecting on his past duties as prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir said he had to persuade the Malays to allow the Barisna to place MIC candidates in Malay-majority areas because no constituency in the country had an Indian majority.

"Besides that, I also strove to get the MIC candidates supported by the Malays. Without support from Umno members and the other Malays, the MIC could not win. So that's is my service to the MIC.

"But when the MIC does something that will cause it not to be supported by of the Indians, Chinese and Malays, I have to criticise," he said.

Meanwhile, Samy Vellu said Friday that he had already discussed his retirement plan with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last June and would stick to it.

"I had a frank discussion with the prime minister when I met him in Sarawak where I told him of my (retirement) plan.

"I will keep my word to the prime minister and I will not change (my plan)," he said when contacted here.

He said Najib was aware of his retirement plan but he declined to reveal it, saying that it was between him and the Barisan chairman.

On former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement that he was a liability to the BN, Samy Vellu said Dr Mahathir was entitled to his opinion.

"I'm not hurt by his comments and my respect for him will never diminish," he said. However, he said, he was sad that Tun Dr Mahathir had labelled him a liability now "but when the Barisan was winning (in general elections), I was considered an asset".

"I'm not at all surprised at his comments but I think he refuses to understand that the Barisan lost (many seats) in the last general election not due to me.

"An experienced man (politician) like him should understand that," he said.

Samy Vellu described Tun Dr Mahathir's comments as akin to "telling a young wife that she is beautiful and an asset, but when she becomes old, she is branded a liability". - Bernama

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