Samy to stay on as MIC chief

Nation STAR/Monday March 10, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who crashed to a shock defeat in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat, will continue as the MIC president and restructure and rebuild the party.
In a statement, he said he was not feeling unhappy but reminded the MIC members that they were in a very challenging period.
“We have to move in the direction where the wind is blowing and we hope a day will come when the new wave will be with us,” he said.
Samy Vellu, who had been the Sungai Siput MP since 1974, lost to PKR's Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj by 1,821 votes.
He thanked the people of Sungai Siput for supporting him in the last eight elections since 1974.
“I am very grateful for being given the opportunity to serve this constituency and I believe I have done whatever possible to make the people of Sungai Siput happy.
“But times have changed and every good thing has to come to an end but there is always a new beginning,” he said.
Meanwhile secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, who was one of three MIC leaders to have retained their parliamentary seats, said the MIC has to take cognisance of the results and the fact that the majority of the Indian community did not support the party in the elections.
“This is the first time we have suffered such a loss,” he said.
Dr Subramaniam, who retained the Segamat parliamentary seat, said that the next four years would be challenging to rebuild the confidence and to instil in the people the relevance of the MIC to the Indian community.
He said Samy Vellu was the president of MIC and should continue dictating the direction of the party.
MIC information chief Datuk M. Saravanan, who won the Tapah parliamentary seat, said it was normal for parties to win or lose seats in elections.
“Even Keadilan lost in many seats in the last general election but this time, it made some gains. Winning or losing is not all that the game is about but more about serving the people,” he said.
Saravanan, who is also Federal Territory MIC chief, said this was the best time to prove that “we are here not for position or power but