This is one of the last interviews for Samy Vellu since he’s stepping down next week.  He was also interview on MinnalFM on Sunday evening (I heard it on the trip back from Seremban). Let’s see what he’s got to say. I’m compiling a list of his accomplishments as a MIC leader and Indian community representative at national level, so do drop me a note if anything comes to your mind (we are talking about success stories on a national level, not stories like “helping Muthu to get place in university”). So far there’s establishment of AIMST, TAFE and MIED.

Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu will step down as MIC’s longest serving president next week but he is not about to ride into the sunset. The flamboyant politician will assume a post as Malaysia’s special envoy for infrastructure to South Asian countries.

IT is days before Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu bids farewell as MIC president after holding the post for an unprecedented 31 years. But those close to the party supremo says he has hardly been showing any signs of slowing down.

His zest was evident on Friday when he checked in early at the MIC headquarters in Jalan Rahmat as the special guest at a gathering organised by Wanita MIC for budding women entrepreneurs.

And there he was on stage, the remarkable orator still drumming across pointers in his eloquent Tamil.

Samy: ‘I gave a boost to the Public Works Department to work harder’.

“You must not only be brave but also have the gumption to succeed. And always be wise; do not trade on credit terms,” the 74-year-old party chief, who used to hand-roll tobacco leaves to make cerut (Indian cigars) at an early age to ease his family’s financial burden, says in what seems to be his parting advice to the group of businesswomen.

Except for signs of appearing weary from the long hours he has been keeping of late, Samy Vellu is his usual suave self in his dark blue designer suit and tie.

“All my life, the interest of the community has been paramount to me. I have faithfully executed my duties with that in my mind,” he tells Sunday Star in a farewell interview at the MIC headquarters on Friday.

It will be a rare moment for the MIC when the eldest son of a lorry driver born in the Rengo Malay Estate in Kluang, Johor, calls it a day on Dec 6.

Samy Vellu is the longest serving president of the party, having assumed the post in an acting capacity in 1979 following the sudden death of Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam. He has retained the presidency for a record 11 terms.

Love him or hate him, the flamboyant former Works Minister has undeniably been a president who tried doing things differently. His career was only sullied by the Maika Holdings controversy and his stunning defeat in the 2008 general election for the Sungai Siput parliamentary constituency, which he had held since 1974.

»I don’t think there will be any infighting« DATUK SERI S. SAMY VELLU

But Samy Vellu prefers to present the big picture of his presidency. “We did not only work as a political party but became a provider as well – providing education; giving out loans; building higher institutions of learning; all these with the aim of seeing the community benefiting at every turn,” he says, widening his eyes to get his meaning across.

In a wide-ranging interview, Samy Vellu talks about his long MIC stewardship, his confidence in his successor Datuk G. Palanivel, the future direction of the party, his stint in the Cabinet, the Maika Holdings’ flop, his greatest disappointment and the diplomat that he intends to be.

Q: You said during my last interview with you in April 2009 that you would step down as president “in a year-and-a-half at the most”. You’ve kept your word. Is this a planned move?

A: I had already planned it when I contested in the last general election – that I should get out within one to one-and-a-half years and not wait three years – so that, within the next one-and-a-half years, we can decide on the new leaders. The next leader has already been decided with (Datuk G.) Palanivel winning the deputy president’s post in the last party election.

> Can you state when you are formally stepping down? Will it be after chairing your final CWC meeting on Dec 6, or Dec 13, a day after your biography is launched by the Prime Minister?

It will be somewhere in the first week of December… Dec 6.

> Are you being made ambassador with ministerial rank to South Asia, mainly focusing on India, and also to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives?

Yes, that’s right. Malaysia has been growing very fast in the construction industry. We have proven our capability in countries like India and other countries. That is why, in the past, the Indian Government awarded us contracts worth about US$20bil (RM66bil). And Malaysian contractors have proven their worth. But now, things have slowed down a bit. The Indian Government is going to spend US$1.5tril (RM4.95tril) in infrastructure development over the next five years.

Our PM feels this is the time we should fully equip ourselves and get all our contractors lined up. We have to conduct capacity-building to ensure that those who have the capacity are allowed to vie for projects in India and other countries.

> You had a meeting with the Indian Prime Minister during his recent visit to Kuala Lumpur so you must have briefed him on your new role. What was the feedback?

I explained to Dr Manmohan Singh that Datuk Seri Najib has agreed to give me an opportunity to serve as special envoy to India on infrastructure. I told him that I will be moving into India to do infrastructure- related work with companies which have got the best capabilities and capacity and that we will also participate in their tender system.

Even before all this, I went to India on my own. I brought PLUS (Expressways Bhd) and got them to work with Nagarjuna Construction Co in India on a 260km highway project. The pre-qualification has been done and the tender process will follow. They are working on it.

We are also working on several other projects (in India). We want to take UEM (Group Bhd) again to India to participate in jobs. UEM is going to put up a partnership with Punj Lloyd (Group of India) and compete for jobs.

I have also introduced Hopetech (Sdn Bhd) to do collaboration on introducing a centralised toll collection system in India.

Presently, different companies are collecting toll on their own. We want to set up a centralised toll collection system so that nobody loses money buying and putting up equipment all the time. Hopetech and Punj Lloyd will be signing an MoU very soon on this. It’s going to be very interesting.

> Will your role be confined to these South Asian countries?

The other countries, when they invite me, I will seek special permission from the Prime Minister to go. I may have to go to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti. These are the two other countries we are thinking of now, because they are very keen on Malaysia building their road networks.

Djibouti wants to build roads and housing, while Saudi contractors want to have partnerships with Malaysian contractors to compete for jobs in Saudi. It is going to be very good for Malaysia. Our construction industry must continuously grow so that we can prove to the world that although we are a small country, we have a bigger capacity in the industry.

> From a veteran, rugged, hands-on, tough-talking politician and head of the MIC to a roving ambassador. At 74, do you feel like being a new man?

My style of work will change. I will be more aggressive working towards achieving the objectives of the national construction industry so that we will be accepted as world class contractors elsewhere. That is what I have in mind. There will be a new vocabulary as well.

> On your record term as MIC president, what would you list as your greatest achievements?

Number one, I have earned the respect of the community which I consider paramount in order to be a leader of the community. Number two, I have always thought of the community; they have been above everything else to me.

Number three, I feel that we have dedicated the MIC to the cause of the community during my 30 over years (as president). That is why we did not only work as a political party but we became a provider as well – providing education, giving out loans, building higher institutions of learning – all these with the aim of seeing the community benefiting at every turn.

> When we talked last year, you said you would only leave after ensuring that all was well in the party. Are you sure that this is the time?

It is all right now. But I will have to do some adjustments because when new people come, they have to adjust themselves to other elements within the party. They have to work together. I have told them that we have a long way to go and have to protect the community by working together. I have informed these leaders that if we are divided, we will not benefit at all; that we will be spending more time fighting than serving the people.

> What about doubts on whether Palanivel can fill your formidable shoes and be his own leader? In your view, can he command the support of the grassroots?

For every leader, when they are about to take up a position, people will ask, “Can he do it?” It happened to me in 1979 when I took over. They said, “Oh, the MIC is gone.” Some even said a rowdy has taken over the leadership! But I made peace in the party. I made everyone understand that they have a responsibility and a role to play.

A person has to be given an opportunity to prove himself. I know that he (Palanivel) has got that capability.

>What do you expect of Palanivel as the incoming MIC chief?

I want him to continue what we have done, continue to look at the community’s growth both economically and socially, and at the same time be vocal for the cause. I think he can do it.

> Will Palanivel be the acting president? I am raising this because many in the party are unclear about what his actual status will be.

No, he will be a full-fledged president. The MIC constitution states that in the absence of the president, the deputy will act for the president. Absence means I go on leave; I am away but that I will still come back. Here, I am resigning so he will take over as full president.

In 1979, I took over as acting president because at that time there were no vice-presidents to be made deputy president. That scenario was diffe rent. We amended the party consti tution after that to have three vice-presidents.

> What about the deputy president’s post then?

The constitution states that the president may in consultation with the CWC appoint an acting deputy president from among the three vice-presidents. I have already got the mandate from the CWC. I will put them both (Palanivel and Dr Subramaniam) in their seats and then leave because I don’t want a tussle after that. Somebody may come and tell him (Palanivel) not to pick Dr Subramaniam as the No 2. There are a lot of nasty people who like to create problems.

> Is it not an awkward situation in the MIC, the president being a Deputy Minister while Dr Subramaniam sits in the Cabinet?

We cannot look at it as an awkward situation because it was due to the circumstances that we faced in 2008 (general election). It was due to the circumstances that made me decide that Dr Subramaniam would move up as minister at tha t time. Dr Subramaniam was the one who won very comfortably (in the Segamat parliamentary constituency).

On the other hand, (Datuk M.) Saravanan and (Datuk S.) Devamany also won, but I felt that Dr Subramaniam was more experienced and better qualified and that he would do a better job as a minister. And he is doing it.

> Do you think Palanivel and Dr Subramaniam will work together in the long term?

They should work together with one heart and one mind, and they will do a tremend ous job. I don’t think there will be any infighting.

> Back in the old days when the Cabinet was made up of less than 20 ministers, the MIC held two Cabinet posts. Now with a much larger Cabinet, your party has only a sole ministership. Can you explain why you have not been able to do anything about it in your 31 years as MIC president?

Even recently, we have raised the matter with Datuk Seri Najib, asking him to promote Palanivel to full minister. Datuk Seri Najib is a very reasonable man and he understands the importance of the Indian community’s contributions. We have talked to him.

Before the Hulu Selangor by-election, when we wanted to put Palanivel as the candidate, we discussed so many things with the PM. He might j ust do it. I think what we couldn’t achieve over the last 30 years, we can achieve under Datuk Seri Najib.

> There are ex-MIC members scattered all over – in the PPP, IPF, PKR, DAP and now in Datuk Nallakaruppan’s Malaysian Indian United Party (MIUP). Many of them were either disillusioned or sacked by the MIC. What do you say about this?

I have already told Nallakaruppan that he can come back together with his total membership. We are now working in Kedah to woo back all those who went to PKR. About 1,000 are willi ng to return and form new branches. This is a good thing.

Indians are beginning to realise that PKR is not the party for them because they have no respect there. They have been used only as henchmen to carry things around.

In the recent PKR elections, every Indian was defeated. What does that mean? Many might think that the PKR gave a lot of seats to Indian candidates (in the last general election). Yes, they did but it was because they couldn’t find anyone. And they also did not expect to win. But now they realise that they should not give in to the Indians. This is what is happening in PKR.

> On Maika Holdings, looking back, who should be accountable for its failure? And why did it fail?

I can tell you that when everybody was going down, we started Maika Holdings. We started at a very bad time. We were trying to do business. We made money and lost, made money and lost again. We didn’t have people with a real business sense to run (Maika) in the past.

But on the other hand, whatever they did, they did not make Maika lose its worth. Maika’s worth wa s still there. At least we sold off the shares and gave the people back their money. A person who invested RM100 got back the RM100, although the share was worth 80 sen because we gave out free bonus shares. Including the bonus shares, they got back their RM1.

> What do you have to say to the thousands of poor Indians who invested their life-sa vings in Maika?

We paid back to them. In total, they all got about RM40mil in repayments, bonuses and all. They got back quite a lot from Maika.

> Maika shares are today in the pocket of a single Indian. The way you see it, was it a toss-up between thousands of Indians owning a loss-making entity or one man stepping in to rescue Maika?

If that one man (Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam) did not step in to rescue Maika, I think Maika would have gone bust. Nobody would have got anything. It is a good thing that he stepped in to save us.

> On education: One of your grandest projects was the AIMST University in Kedah. But why are many of our Indian students still heading to Russia, India, Poland and Indonesia to study medicine?

Because we only have 200 places for medicine (annually) but there are between 2,000 and 3,000 students getting out of school every year who want to become doctors. So there is no other way; they have to go to Russia, Indonesia and other countries.

> It’s not because your fees are very high due to the massive cost of con structing AIMST?

It’s got nothing to do with the construction cost. Ours is the lowest fee. Those days, we charged RM180,000.

Then everyone raised it to between RM275,000 and RM300,000 but we hiked our fees to RM260,000 only. You know, we have to pay professors a lot of money. Their salaries amo unt to quite a lot.

> What were your major achievements as Works Minister, and Energy, Telecommuni cations and Post Minister?

The most interesting things (I’ve done) are the North-South Expressway, the Penang Bridge and also several privatised highways. And I gave a boost to the Public Works Department ( JKR) to work harder. When I left the ministry, that was the year it became the best ministry in terms of implementation.

When I was Energy, Telecom muni – cations and Post Minister, I issued five cellular phone licences, anticipating the demand for cellular phones in the country.

And it was me who discussed with Ananda Krishnan and others on the launching of a satellite. I am the one who planned that Malaysia should have a satellite.

I announced that Malaysia would launch a satellite at a meeting that both Dr Mahathir and I attended. There were foreigners who were surprised with my announcement.

> Who were the people you considered to be your mentors?

Tun Sambanthan, Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam, and a leader that I really loved, Datuk Harun (Idris). He gave us the energy to really work back then. In the past, I was more connected with Umno than the MIC. And then, of course, in the later part when I came into the Government, I liked Dr Mahathir very much – for his dynamism, hard work and love for the country.

>You’ve made many a friend and foe while spearheading the MIC. You famously made peace with one-time arch rival M.G. Pandithan before he passed away. Any more such gestures before you step down?

The only person in my life that I could not befriend was Datuk Subramaniam. He has his own mind. After the 2008 general election, he asked his Tamil newspaper to destroy me. They were out to prove that I had done nothing for the Indian communi ty and for the country.

>How do you compare yourself against Tun Sambanthan and Tan Sri Manickavasagam? How will the MIC be without S. Samy Vellu?

Sambanthan was a great leader. Manickavasagam was the president for a short period. He built the MIC headquarters where we are sitting today. And he brought improvement in the management of MIC. But my style is different from his. The MIC, without Samy Vellu, will still go on. This is the world.