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Mega Stars Nite a flop?

December 24th, 2007
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I was wondering why there's no news on the Mega Stars Nite which was held on 21st night in Shah Alam. No photos in THR website while searching the Internet returned some photos at Galatta.com's site

There were many calls to boycott the show as a respect for HINDRAF and also to condemn the deafening silence by the Tamil Cinema industry on the 25/11 rally. The organisers had to promote in on Astro Vaanavil Bernama news last week. The organiser Maras said that profit from the show is to be used to start a center to nurture budding local artistes. However, the Indian artistes seem to think that money is for their new building and help needy artistes.

The tickets were priced from RM60 to RM300.

It has been three days and no news yet. Not sure about Tamil papers. But my source says that the only about 1300 people attended, out of which 700 were on free tickets (THR and other corporate sponsors). Also, it seems the Tamil papers boycotted covering the event as well.

Anyone attended the concert?

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MIC confident indians vote for BN

December 23rd, 2007
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BN can count on Indian voters
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76334
Dec 22, 07 3:21pm

There is no risk of the Indian voters ditching the BN and running to vote for the opposition in the coming general election, said MIC deputy president G Palanivel today.

"Loyalty is not a one-way process. It's a two-way process. BN voters will remain loyal to us because we have served our constituencies and have cultivated our relationship with our people," said Palanivel.

Bernama reported the Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development as saying that the voters would know the volume of work done by MIC for the community.

"On the ground situation, especially during a general election, would be such that our voters will evaluate the volumes of work the MIC has done under the leadership of Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu,” he said.

He was commenting on suggestions by Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang yesterday that there has been a political awakening among Indian voters in the country recently. Lim had said that the Indian voters could use their voting powers to be kingmakers in determining who should represent them.

However Palanivel said: "This will not happen".

He added that Lim was only referring to the voice of a splinter group, adding that the majority of the Indian voters knew that voting for the opposition would not be a solution to some of their unresolved woes.

Palanivel however admitted that BN’s elected representatives must continue to work hard in their constituencies and keep their voters informed of the opposition's ploy to fish in troubled waters.

Opposition exploitation

Palanivel’s comments today followed similar remarks made by the MIC Youth chief SA Vigneswaran yesterday that the opposition was exploiting the Indian voters.

Yesterday party president Samy Vellu also claimed that recent incidents have not dented MIC.

"I will continue to fight for the betterment of the (Indian) community,” he told Bernama in an interview.

Referring to recent street protests by some members of the Indian community and those from the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), he said MIC's spirit and strength had not been weakened by those incidents.

"I have always stood by the MIC and will continue to stand by the party. I will continue to fight for the community to ensure that Indians in the country continue to rise socially and economically," he had said.

Lim however had said that Samy was out of touch with the wishes of the Indian community.

The opposition leader said that Samy has a "serious denial syndrome" when he claimed that the government has never neglected the Indians.

The kingmakers

Lim also predicted that the Indian voters, who for long have been loyal to the Barisan Nasional, will shift away from voting for the ruling coalition in the next general election.

The most recent electoral data shows that there are 50 parliamentary and 133 state assembly constituencies where Indian voters comprise more than 10 percent of the electorate and 21 parliamentary and 133 state assembly seats in Peninsular Malaysia where the Indian voters constitute more than 15 percent of the electorate.

Lim said that the Indian voters in these constituencies can make the difference in sending a message to the BN.

MIC and Samy Vellu have come under tremendous pressure in recent months after Hindraf had managed to gather 30,000 people in Kuala Lumpur as a sign of protest against the marginalisation of the community in this country.

The community, feeling helpless, has thrown its weight behind Hindraf in the calls made to the government to immediately look into the woes of the Indians here.

As a result of their hardline campaign, five Hindraf leaders have been detained under the Internal Security Act which provides for detention without trial.

To regain the losing support, Samy Vellu and the MIC have been embarking on a series of programmes to convince the community that only MIC can help them.

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mahathir on ISA

December 22nd, 2007
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TDM says if don't like ISA, don't vote for those who use them. So, asking people not to vote for BN?

Star, NST, and MK excerpts below:

The Star
On the Government using the Internal Security Act (ISA) against Hindraf leaders, Dr Mahathir said he himself had used the ISA before. 

"It is up to the government and the people to decide this. You see, we are a democratic country. 

"If the people selected to lead are the people who support the use of ISA, then they will use it. The choice is yours. I thought people approved the use of ISA when they supported me, so I implemented it." 

However, Dr Mahathir felt that problems felt by any community ought to be addressed in other ways and that public assemblies should only be used as a last resort.

NST
When asked on the government’s decision to invoke the Internal Security Act (ISA) on the group behind the activities which threatened public order and national security, Dr Mahathir said: “I used the ISA too.

“It is up to the government and the people to decide; as you know we are a democratic country. If you elect people who are supportive of the ISA, naturally the ISA will be there.

“If you don’t like the ISA, you have to elect people who don’t like the ISA. The choice is yours.”

According to Dr Mahathir, he was elected based on the fact that he supported the ISA.

“I was elected by the people, so I thought the people approved the ISA, that’s why I implemented the ISA,” he said.

On claims of ethnic cleansing here, Dr Mahathir said he read a lot about ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.

“I have yet to see a lot of Indians being killed here. Malays killing Indians and all that…I think that’s a bit absurd.”

On street demonstrations, he said the people were entitled to raise (issues) but there were other ways of doing it.

“Not unless they are prevented from making their presentation in other ways.

“If they don’t have a choice, of course, they may resort to demonstrations. But if they have a choice, they have their own leaders to explain their problems. I think that should be their first choice,” he said.

MK
Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today demonstrations should only be held as a last resort when other avenues of communicating grievances are unavailable.

Mahathir said that as long as the channels are still open for issues to be raised and conveyed to community leaders, he is against demonstrations.

“They are entitled to raise (the issues), but there are other ways of raising it,” Mahathir told a press conference at his Perdana Leadership Foundation office in Putrajaya.

“If they have no other choice, of course, they may resort to demonstrations. But if they have a choice, they have their own leaders, they can meet (and) they can explain their problems, I think that would be the first choice,” he added.

Mahathir – speaking after the launch of a book on ‘The Third World and International Law’ by legal expert Tungku Sofiah Jewa – was commenting on the spate of public gatherings organised recently, such as by polls watchdog coalition Bersih and Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

Also present at the press conference were Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali and Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Rais Yatim.

While Bersih rallied about 40,000 people into the streets on Nov 10 in support of a petition to the King for electoral reform, about 30,000 rallied on Nov 25 in support of a Hindraf petition to the British embassy protesting discrimination against and marginalisation of ethnic Indians.

Following the crackdowns by the police on the events, civil society groups and organisations have pressed for the government to give greater freedom for public assemblies and to abolish laws requiring a police permit before public gatherings are held.

Vote wisely

Mahathir also denied that the Indian community had been refused opportunities to make their grievances known.

On claims of ethnic cleansing here as alleged by Hindraf,  Mahathir said he read a lot about ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.

"I have yet to see a lot of Indians being killed here. Malays killing Indians and all that….I think that's a bit absurd."

  Speaking on the use of the Internal Security Act (ISA) against five Hindraf leaders, Mahathir said if people were against the ISA – which provides for detention without trial – they should not vote to power a party whose politicians are in support of the act.

“As you know, we are a democratic country. If you elect people who are supportive of the ISA, naturally, the ISA will be there. If you don’t like the ISA, you have to elect people who don’t like the ISA. The choice is yours,” he said.

“I was elected despite the fact that I supported the ISA. I was elected by the people, so I thought the people approved the ISA. That’s why I implemented the ISA,” he added.

Many quarters have criticised the government’s detention of the ‘Hindraf 5' under the ISA as an act of ‘desperation‘.

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deputy minister johari on use of Allah word

December 21st, 2007
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I'm not an expert on Islam, but since Internet is around, I googled around for the word "Allah". These are some of the interesting things I found:

1. From http://emuslim.com/WhoIsAllah.asp

First of all, it is important to note that "Allah" is the same word that Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews use for God. If you pick up an Arabic Bible, you will see the word "Allah" being used where "God" is used in English. This is because "Allah" is the only word in the Arabic language equivalent to the English word "God" with a capital "G". Additionally, the word "Allah" cannot be made plural or given gender (i.e. masculine or feminine), which goes hand-in-hand with the Islamic concept of God. Because of this, and also because the Qur'an, which is the holy scripture of Muslims, was revealed in the Arabic language, some Muslims use the word "Allah" for "God", even when they are speaking other languages. This is not unique to the word "Allah", since many Muslims tend to use Arabic words when discussing Islamic issues, regardless of the language that they speak. This is because the universal teachings of Islam – even though they have been translated in every major language – have been preserved in the Arabic language.

 

It is interesting to note that the Aramaic word "El", which is the word for God in the language that Jesus spoke, is certainly more similar in sound to the word "Allah" than the English word "God". This also holds true for the various Hebrew words for God, which are "El" and "Elah", and the plural form "Elohim". The reason for these similarities is that Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic are all Semitic languages with common origins. It should also be noted that in translating the Bible into English, the Hebrew word "El" is translated variously as "God", "God" and "angel"! This imprecise language allows different translators, based on their preconceived notions, to translate the word to fit their own views. The Arabic word "Allah" presents no such difficulty or ambiguity, since it is only used for Almighty God alone. Additionally, in English, the only difference between "God", meaning a false God, and "God", meaning the One True God, is the capital "G". In the Arabic alphabet, since it does not have capital letters, the word for God (i.e. Allah) is formed by adding the equivalent to the English word "the" (Al-) to the Arabic word for "God/God" (ilah). So the Arabic word "Allah" literally it means "The God" – the "Al-" in Arabic basically serving the same function as the capital "G" in English. Due to the above mentioned facts, a more accurate translation of the word "Allah" into English might be "The One -and-Only God" or "The One True God".

More importantly, it should also be noted that the Arabic word "Allah" contains a deep religious message due to its root meaning and origin. This is because it stems from the Arabic verb ta'Allaha (or alaha), which means "to be worshipped".

 

…This brings us to a more important point: It should be clearly understood that what Islam is primarily concerned with is correcting mankind's concept of Almighty God. What we are ultimately going to be held accountable at the end of our life is not whether we prefer the word "Allah" to the word "God", but what our concept of God is. Language is only a side issue. A person can have an incorrect concept of God while using the word "Allah", and likewise a person can have a correct concept of God while using the word "God". This is because both of these words are equally capable of being misused and being improperly defined. As we've already mentioned, using the word "Allah" no more insinuates belief in the Unity of God than the use of the word "God" insinuates belief in the Trinity – or any other theological opinion. Naturally, when God sends a revelation to mankind through a prophet, He is going to send it in a language that the people who receive it can understand and relate to.

 

Some of the biggest misconceptions that many non-Muslims have about Islam have to do with the word "Allah". For various reasons, many people have come to believe that Muslims worship a different God than Christians and Jews. This is totally false, since "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God" – and there is only One God. Let there be no doubt – Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus – peace be upon them all. However, it is certainly true that Jews, Christians and Muslims all have different concepts of Almighty God. For example, Muslims – like Jews – reject the Christian beliefs of the Trinity and the Divine Incarnation. This, however, doesn't mean that each of these three religions worships a different God – because, as we have already said, there is only One True God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim to be "Abrahamic Faiths", and all of them are also classified as "monotheistic". However, Islam teaches that other religions have, in one way or another, distorted and nullified a pure and proper belief in Almighty God by neglecting His true teachings and mixing them with man-made ideas

 

As Muslims, we think that it is unfortunate that we have to go into details on such seemingly minor issues, but so many falsehoods have been heaped upon our religion, that we feel that it is our duty to try to break down the barriers of falsehood. This isn't always easy, since there is a lot of anti-Islamic literature in existence, which tries to make Islam look like something strange and foreign to Westerners. There are some people out there, who are obviously not on the side of truth, that want to get people to believe that "Allah" is just some Arabian "God", and that Islam is completely "other" – meaning that it has no common roots with the other Abrahamic religions (i.e. Christianity and Judaism). To say that Muslims worship a different "God" because they say "Allah" is just as illogical as saying that French people worship another God because they use the word "Dieu", that Spanish-speaking people worship a different God because they say "Dios" or that the Hebrews worshipped a different God because they sometimes call Him "Yahweh". Certainly, reasoning like this is quite ridiculous! It should also be mentioned, that claiming that any one language uses the only correct word for God is tantamount to denying the universality of God's message to mankind, which was to all nations, tribes and people through various prophets who spoke different languages."

2. From http://understanding-islam.com/related/text.asp?type=question&qid=69&sscatid=8

Question:

What is the derivation of the word "Allah"? Some scholars say it derives from al+ illah ("the God"), but many Muslim Ulema and translators of the Qur'an (such as Maulana Muhammad Ali) disagree with this, and say that "Allah" is whole in itself, as a proper name for the Supreme Creator. But is there any philological relationship between Allah and other Semitic terms for "God" such as Eloah (Hebrew) and Alaha (Aramaic/Syriac)?

Thank you.

Peace and blessings of Allah be with you.

Answer:

Although a lot has been said about the philology of the word 'Allah', however, in my opinion, the former of the two opinions noted by you seems to be closer to the correct one. A detailed discussion compiling the opinions of various scholars of the Arabic language regarding the origin of the word can be seen in "Lisaan al-Arab" under the word "Aaliha" (a-l-h). In my opinion, 'Allah' is an Arabic word meaning 'the God'. According to the general principle of making proper nouns from common nouns in the Arabic language, the word "ilah" (common noun) has been converted to "al-ilah", which became "Allah" due to the turgidity and the slight difficulty of pronouncing the word "al-ilah".

The Qur'an, because its prime and first addressees were the Arabs, used the word "Allah" for the Supreme Being, as that had traditionally been the word used for the Supreme Being in that language. The same had been the case in the older scriptures. Those scriptures, like the Qur'an, used the particular words for the Supreme Being, which were already in vogue in those languages, to refer to the Supreme Being.

However, there have been scholars of the Arabic language who ascribe to the opinion that "Allah" is the actual name of the Supreme Being. It is indeed important to analyze the evidence that they have provided to support their opinion. Nevertheless, I feel that to give God a name is a requirement of us, humans. God, being the absolute being is in no need for a name.

3. From http://www.islam-info.ch/en/Who_is_Allah.htm

In the technical vocabulary of linguistics, the word Allâh is Jâmid, that is, it is not derived from any other word. In the pronunciation of Allâh, the letter ‘L’ is stressed. The word Allâh is not a construction of al-ilâh as some people think, but a different and an independent word. The first two letters Al in the word Allâh are an integral, inseparable part of the word. They do not denote the definite article Al of Arabic, which is equivalent to the English ‘the’. In Arabic, the prefix Al is added before the noun to emphasize the word in the sense of 'most' or 'all', for example al-Rahmân – the Most Gracious. Sîbwaih, the great grammarian, and Khalîl, the great linguistic, say, “Since Al in the beginning of the word Allâh is inseparable from it, so it is a simple substantive, not derived from any other word.”

If Al in All̢h were an additional prefix, the common exclamation y̢ All̢h, (O All̢h!), would not be permitted according to the rules of Arabic grammar, as the form y̢ al-il̢h or y̢ al-Rahm̢n are not permissible in Arabic. Moreover, this supposition would mean that there were different gods Р̢lihah (plural of il̢h), one of which became gradually known as al-il̢h and was then contracted into All̢h. This supposition is not correct. All̢h has always been the name of the Eternal Being (Hughes: Dictionary of Islam), nor has the word All̢h ever been applied to anyone else but the Divine Being. The pagan Arabs had numerous il̢hs or gods, but none of them was ever called All̢h.

This being the proper name of the Supreme Being has therefore no parallel or equivalent in any other language of the world. The English word ‘god’ is applied to any religious object of worship. Most probably it is related to ‘good’ and origins from heathen mythologies. Jehovah, which is the Aramaic or Hebrew expression Ya Howâ, literally means most closely ‘O! That’ or ‘O! Thou’ used to address a Deity, the emphasis is on Huwa which is to emphasize an Existence, therefore it can hardly be a proper name. The Hindus give their senior deity the name of Par-Mâtma (the Super Soul), Par-Barham (the Super and the Great), Par-Mishwar (the Great King or Owner), The Parsis give their supreme God the name of Yazdan and Hermes. In the Sikh religion, their great Deity is called Satt which means the Truth. The use of Jehova in the New Testament by the Witnesses of Jehova is a new invention. In the original Greek version and older versions of the New Testament this name was never used and Jesus never employed the name "Jehova". Although most Christians are unaware of it, the Aramaic speaking Jesus also used the word Allâh (or ‘Allaha’). Christians speaking the Semitic languages still use it. In the Greek and Latin writings this was then rendered to theos or deos, the generic words for ‘god’ in these languages. These words are derived from Dyeus, the name of a heathen god. The French ‘dieu’ or the English ‘deity’ are also etymologically based on that word.

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allah

The term Allāh is most likely derived from a contraction of the Arabic article al- and ʾilāh "deity, god" to al-lāh meaning "the [sole] deity, God" ( ho theos monos), L. Gardet states.[2] Another theory traces the etymology of the word to the Aramaic Alāhā.[2]. Cognates of the name "Allāh" exist in other Semitic languages, including Hebrew and Aramaic. [4] The corresponding Aramaic form is אֱלָהָא ˀĔlāhā in Biblical Aramaic and ܐܰܠܳܗܳܐ ˀAlâhâ or ˀĀlōho in Syriac. [9].

According to Gerhard Böwering, the contraction of al- and ʾilāh in forming the term Allāh (“the deity” in the masculine form) parallels the contraction of al- and ʾilāha in forming the term al-Lāt (“the deity” in the feminine form). [10]

Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, including Christians and Jews, use the word "Allah" to mean "God". [4] The Christian Arabs of today have no other word for 'God' than 'Allah'.[6] Arab Christians for example use terms Allāh al-ab (الله الآب) meaning God the father, Allāh al-ibn (الله الابن) mean God the son, and Allāh al-ruh al ghodus (الله الروح القدس) meaning God the Holy Spirit (See God in Christianity for the Christian concept of God).

Deputy Minister Johari says the word is from Arabic language, so I suppose all those who speak Arabic can use it. Religion is a sensitive issue, so I hope this issue is not misinterpreted and offend those people of Arabic descent who may not be Muslims. Again, I'm not an expert, so my apologies if there's any mistake here.

Johari: Only Muslims can use 'Allah'
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76302
Soon Li Tsin | Dec 21, 07 5:31pm

The word 'Allah' can only be used in the context of Islam and not any other religion, said the Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum.

Asked why a new condition will be imposed on Catholic weekly newspaper Herald when its annual publishing permit is next renewed, the deputy minister said this is to prevent confusion. 

"Only Muslims can use 'Allah'. It's a Muslim word, you see. It's from (the Arabic (language). We cannot let other religions use it because it will confuse people," he said when contacted today.

"We cannot allow this use of 'Allah' in non-Muslim publications, nobody except Muslims. The word 'Allah' is published by the Catholics. It's not right."

The Herald, the organ of the Catholic Church in Malaysia, had been facing problems in renewing its publishing permit allegedly because of the word 'Allah' was used in referring to 'God' in its Bahasa Malaysia section. 

The ministry has also allegedly told the publisher to remove the entire Bahasa Malaysia section or the permit will not be renewed when it expires in two weeks.

The Herald, which is published in four languages – English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil – has a circulation of 12,000.

Johari noted that other publications, such as Buddhist magazines, do not use the word 'Allah' when referring to God.

"The Herald can use other words but not 'Allah'. That will confuse people," he claimed.

Basis of decision

He said the decision was made based on a report submitted by the publications department of the ministry.

"Previously no one knew (about this). I made the decision based on a report submitted to me that was prepared by an officer," he explained.

However, when asked why the Herald is being told to remove its Bahasa Malaysia section – rather than use of the word 'Allah' – Johari was unable to comment.

"I'm not sure about it, I have to check again. As far as I know they used the word 'Allah' and we cannot allow that," he reiterated.

He further pointed out that the word 'Allah' cannot be printed on t-shirts or other garments and those who have done so have been warned by his ministry.

The use of 'Allah' outside of Islam has stirred controversy in Malaysia previously. Four years ago, the Bible in the Iban language was banned because it translated the word 'God' as Allah Taala, which resembles Islam's name for God. 

The ban was, however, lifted after protests from the Christian community.

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samy vellu to fight on

December 21st, 2007
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Samy Vellu Vows To Fight On For Indian Community

source

By S. Retna

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 21 (Bernama) — "I will continue to fight for the betterment of the (Indian) community. The question of the MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress) being dented from recent incidents does not arise," said Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, the MIC supremo.

Referring to recent street protests by some members of the Indian community and those from the so-called Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), he said the MIC's spirit and strength had not been weakened by those incidents.

"I have always stood by the MIC and will continue to stand by the party. I will continue to fight for the community to ensure that Indians in the country continue to rise socially and economically," he told Bernama in an interview.

But the MIC president, who has led the largest Indian-based political party in the country for the last 28 years, reminded the Indian community that Malaysia is a multiracial country and that the nation's wealth must be shared in a reasonable manner.

"This is important. We cannot get whatever we have asked for and the same applies to the other races. The sharing of the country's economic wealth must be addressed in a reasonable manner," he said in a frank interview which covered a wide range of subjects involving the Indian community.

Touching on Hindraf, Samy Vellu, who is Works Minister, said that when the group initially censured the government, it did not ask for anything for Malaysian Indians but was more inclined to criticise the authorities and in particular, Umno, the main partner in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

"But they failed to realise that fighting Umno is equivalent to fighting the Malays, who are the majority in the country. This is not the approach to make changes for the (Indian) community. We have always worked with the government, which is backed by Umno, to bring changes to the (Indian) community," he said.

Hindraf, on Nov 25, held a rally in Kuala Lumpur claiming that the government had failed to help the Indians over the last 50 years.

Five Hindraf leaders are now held under the Internal Security Act at the Kamunting detention centre for being a threat to national security.

Samy Vellu, who is often noted for his outspoken nature, said although Hindraf did not discredit the MIC or its leadership, the MIC could not stand and watch "any attack on Umno".

"I know the weaknesses in the implementation and delivery system at several stages of the government. In spite of this, I have continued to raise issues concerning the Malaysian Indian community.

"Being a minister, I'm privileged to have this information and whatever we discuss at the Cabinet is classified. As such, I'm unable to divulge certain information to the public, espicially to the community.

"I have openly made constructive criticism of the government's recruitment and promotion of Indians in the public sector. I have also brought to the attention of the Cabinet the sufferings of estate workers, who are now enjoying a fixed monthly salary…we in the MIC have raised various matters to the government as we represent 1.8 million Indians in the country," he said.

Speaking on Hindu temples, the minister said MIC had always been a "shield" for these temples although some of these places of worship were built illegally.

"As for the Kampung Jawa temple (which was demolished by the authorities in October because it was built on private land after the land owner obtained a court ruling), we did our best and even the prime minister did his best but the court order stood in our way. I have personally handled thousands of temples," he said. For the record, there are more than 25,000 Hindu temples nationwide.

"I did this because I'm a staunch Hindu but I'm not a Hindu extremist. I know for a fact that extremism can never achieve anything," Samy Vellu stressed.

The MIC president also said that he had been constantly "fighting" with the government to get what Malaysian Indians were entitled to and that he had records to prove this.

"On Tamil schools, I have looked after these schools because I myself am a son of a rubber tapper, who had lived in estates and I was one of the first to go to a Tamil school…Tamil is my language…my mother tongue.

"Now elements who do not know about Tamil schools and their problems are making blind accusations that the MIC did not protect these schools. The government and the prime minister gave RM1 million to temples annually.

"Some quarters have asked for the acounts of this money. I only make recommendations to the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) (under the Prime Minister's Department) on the allocations needed and it channels the funds directly.

"Some ignorant people have been asking what has happened to the money. My question is, "What money? Who gave what money to the MIC?", he said.

On the economic front, Samy Vellu said the MIC, through its economic bureau, had created some 50,000 active Indian businessmen, from small to big. He said these businessmen had also asked the government to allow them to bring in workers from India. This matter was raised by him in the Cabinet and approval was given to bring in 40,000 Indian workers.

Following the MIC's request, the government also allocated some RM40 million for micro-credit schemes and this scheme too had been successful.

"However we face problems of repayment of these loans. Despite that, the MIC through Nijhar (Tan Sri K.S. Nijhar, MIC vice-president and party economic bureau chief) has now proposed for further financial aid for Malaysian Indians," he said.

Samy Vellu also claimed that "some unscrupulous elements" were taking advantage of the current situation to hit out at the MIC and its leadership by spreading lies via the short messaging service (SMS).

He alleged that these people had actually failed the Malaysian Indian community.

"I have made it a point to have direct contact with the grassroots…we must hear and listen to the grouses of the people.

"At no time will I give up the Malaysian Indian community. I'm always subservient to them and nobody can stop me from fighting for the community," he said.

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