Is Samy Vellu making a comeback?

Speech by M Kula Segaran, Dap National Vice Chairman and MP for Ipoh Barat at DAP Melaka Ceramah at Bemban on Thursday, March 14, 2013 

Is Samy Vellu making a comeback?

 Desperate people do desperate things and there is no doubt that Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ali Rastam has resorted desperate tactics in the run up to the next general election.

Now Ali is not only well known in the nation for leading a state with little cash reserves, BN Melaka is also now most  infamous for disrupting opposition ceramahs.

But Ali should know that such tactic will only cause BN to lose more votes. 

In July last year , MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said Indian support for the party would be bigger in the next general election as the community had received tremendous benefits from the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

According to a Bernama report, Palanivel was quoted as saying that since taking over office in 2009, Najib has always been ready to engage in key issues and offered wider opportunities for the Indian community in education, development programmes and civil services.

I had last year asked Palanivel two questions:-

1.     Does he still remember the 7 critical issues which caused MIC to do badly in the 2008 general election?

2.     Is MIC satisfied with what the BN government has done on these critical issues?

In February, 2008, the then MIC chief Dato Seri Samy Vellu said that there were seven critical issues that had caused uneasiness among the Indian community and the government must immediately take steps to address them. 

The seven were:

1. an equitable participation in the share market;

2. Indian intake in public universities;

3. better employment opportunities, especially in the public sector;

4. increase the number of government scholarships;

5. greater access to entrepreneurship training and micro-credit loans;

6. an effective urban poverty eradication programme; and.

7. the establishment of a dedicated mechanism to monitor and evaluate the delivery of public sector services in a just and fair manner.

I also challenged MIC to list its political results and achievements since 2008 general election if it says that BN has delivered.

But Palanivel has not taken up my challenge.

In the Chinapress Daily dated 3.3.2013, it was reported that former MIC President Datuk Seri Samy Vellu may make a political comeback and contest in Sungai Siput in the next general election.

The report said that when Samy , who was holding  a prèss conference in Sungai Siput , was asked by the media whether he would be contesting again in Sungai Siput parliament, Samy did not deny but merely said that the candidate would be decided by the Prime Minister.

So is Samy Velly interested in making a political comeback?

Although Perak Mentri Besar has said on Mrach 12 that Samy is not keen to make a comeback, I will not be surprised if Samy is nominated as a BN candidate.

There has been speculation that MIC President Palanivel will contest in Sg Siput but there is doubt among local BN people that he is not a winnable candidate for the area. 

Is Samy really a winnable candidate? 

I wish to remind Samy that the people have not forgotten that he had raised 7 critical issues in February, 2008.

So if he is seriously making a comeback, he must first tell the Indian community what has Najib done on the 7 critical issues?

He should also explain to the Indian voters why, despite BN having lost much Indian support in the last general election, Najib has only done little for the Indian community for the past 4 years?

DAP Melaka is all ready to take on the BN. The State Chairman Sdr Goh Leong San has declared his intention to take on MCA chief Datuk Gan Tian Loo in Duyong constituency so as to enhance PR chances of capturing Melaka state.

Our partners PKR and PAS are equally ready.

Come the next general election, the people must rise to the occasion and vote PR to bring about a new government in Melaka,
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Earlier I also spoke at DAP Melaka Ubah truck Ceramah held at Taman Seri Duyong.