Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email Hmm..within 3 days of the incident, we have seen an apology forth coming. Sad to say that, in many previous cases, its not the same with a certain party. Samy also suspended the delegate yesterday.
The MIC delegate who courted controversy for saying that a ‘slipper garland’ should be put for former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has apologised for his harsh words.
“I hereby wish to submit my humble apology to Mahathir,” he said in a statement.
M Sukumaran from Paya Besar, Pahang, said he would also seek an appointment with Mahathir to tender a personal apology.
“I regret having uttered those words (slipper garland). I regretted it very much. I sincerely hope Mahathir will accept my apology,” he added.
Sukumaran, who made the remarks during the MIC general assembly over the weekend, also apologised to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
“I was carried away emotionally when I made the remark which had seriously hurt the feelings of Mahathir.
“I take full responsibility for my actions and seek forgiveness from Mahathir,” he added.
Accepts suspension with an ‘open heart’
Sukumaran also said that he accepted MIC president S Samy Vellu’s decision to suspend him from MIC “with an open heart.”
“I will accept whatever decision taken by MIC,” he added.
Malay Mail has a bit more info:
After much speculation over the identity of the MIC member who had called for the portrait of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to be garlanded with slippers, it is now revealed that the person was none other than MIC’s Paya Besar division deputy chairman Peter Sugumaran.
And after his initial bluster, all he wants now is to say sorry to the former prime minister.
“What I want to say is, Dr Mahathir, I am sorry for demeaning you,” he told Malay Mail in a telephone interview yesterday.
Sugumaran admitted that the decision was a bad call on his part and expressed remorse over the incident. “In the heat of the moment, I didn’t know what I was talking about,” he said.
“The words just came out of my mouth. I didn’t plan it when I went onstage to say my piece,” said the retired Tenaga Nasional Berhad employee.
Recalling the incident during the party’s presidential debate on Sunday, Sugumaran said that halfway through his speech, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu got up and stopped him in his tracks, telling him not to criticise Dr Mahathir.
However, when asked to clarify allegations by several party members that he had allegedly, the night before his speech, declared his intention to criticise Dr Mahathir when he took to the stage, Sugumaran replied in the affirmative.
“It’s true. I did tell several delegates that I wished to speak my mind on outside interference but I didn’t mean to put down the great leader,” he said.
The three-term division deputy chief said he was prepared to face any action deemed fit by the party disciplinary committee over his action and reiterated his regret over the incident.
“Upon realising my mistake, I apologised to the president. I also conveyed the same message to my State chairman Datuk Davendran Murthy,” said Sugumaran.
Samy Vellu, Youth Chief Mohan and few others have attempted to distance themselves from the delegate’s comments, and said that the delegate was immediately asked to stop after making his comments. Son Vell Paari, meanwhile, said the blame should be put on Makkal Osai as well who published the interview with Mahathir three months later, to coincide with MIC elections.
Vell Paari also took a broadside at the complainants from certain party:
“This is exactly like what Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said about the cow-head protesters – MIC delegates were also venting their frustrations just like the cow-head protesters.
“The only difference is that the MIC delegates were doing it within their party meeting, expressing their anger to their colleagues and leaders. As for the cow-head protesters, we all know about their motives and intentions…,” he added.
Vell Paari said that Umno leaders should not be too quick to attack MIC over what transpired at the party meeting without knowing the real situation.
“It is still an internal MIC matter and we will deal with it internally. The president has promised action against the delegate who spoke about the garland of slippers and action will be taken.
“As for Umno leaders, they should allow MIC to deal with this issue internally and accept that the criticism against Mahathir was a personal opinion of one delegate and not of the president or the party’s.
“This is just like how Umno delegates at their party meetings make certain comments and remarks which are deemed sensitive and outsiders are not allowed to make an issue over it because it is their party matter,” he pointed out.
Many people and groups jumped in and asked delegate/Samy/MIC to apologise, among them Mahathir’s son Mukhriz and Wanita UMNO (read it here), Home Minister Hishamuddin, Tanjong Malay Association, and UMNO Youth Chief Khairy (read it here). A group of 49 NGOs lead by Penang Malay Association (Pemenang) said the delegate should meet Mahathir and apologise. Deputy Youth and Sports Minister (and also UMNO Youth vice chief) Razali Ahmad and Kedah UMNO also asked for apology.
While the issue of slipper garland suggestion takes centerstage, who is going to focus on the allegations made by Samy Vellu? That Mahathir didn’t do much for the community. Or Mahathir’s claim that Samy never did anything for the community?
“During my time, they said people were fed up with me, that is why the Indian community did not vote for Barisan Nasional. It is not that they are fed with me, but they are fed up with Barisan.
“I can directly say I am not afraid of anybody..(by) saying it. I will say right in front of anybody’s face.
“The amount of resolutions, letters, connections, talking to departments, all these we have done but nothing materialises.
“It has been going on year after year and now the bubble has burst,” he told reporters when visiting the media room at the MIC general assembly here.
Samy Vellu, who was criticised for staying too long in power, also took a swipe at former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for his statements against him.
“He said I did not do anything, that is why he did not give anything. These are words of convenience. I can produce bunches of letters, I can even put up an exhibition.
“I am a person who is not afraid to work or ask anyone for what I want.”
However, he admitted that he was not popular.
“I won’t say I am popular. I am not popular. I am doing my job not to become popular,” he added.
Samy Vellu defended his actions in helping the community, including meeting up to 800 people a week, and blamed the previous governments for not listening.
“The Indians were wounded for many years and there was no pragmatic approach by the government to see what the problem was.
“Now we are interested to see that something has to be done. If this was done five, 10 or 15 years ago, what has happened today, will not happen.
“I will never say I have failed in achieving anything. But I have failed in making the government at that time to understand the plight of the people.
“They were very strong, particularly Dr Mahathir’s government was very strong but did not listen,” he added.
However, he acknowledged the assistance given by Dr Mahathir in giving the party money to build its college and university but said there was no organised activity to uplift the community’s poverty stricken areas.
Well, Samy isn’t exactly a Honest Pete, having provided half-truths and misleading statements many times . So can we say either one of them is lying and have marginalised the Indian community? Who is it? Samy or Mahathir?
