Poor Turn-Out In GAS Protest Today

Kuala Lumpur
Sunday, 30th May 2010

Mugillan Blames Last Minute Change of Venue for  Poor Turn-Out in the Protest

The Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) today suffered a major setback, with a poor turnout at its gathering that is likely to give the beleaguered MIC president a major boost in quelling the party revolt against him.

Organisers of today’s gathering, held at the Mines Convention Centre in Seri Kembangan here, blamed the poor turnout of fewer than 3,000 on the eleventh hour venue change.

Today’s protest was to have been held at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) but was switched to the Mines after the PWTC management cancelled the original booking, causing confusion among potential protesters, said organiser V. Mugilan.

Although Mugilan had expected 15,000 people to turn up, the attendees filled up less than half of the cavernous hall when the protest session started at 2.15pm.

The poor showing will give ammunition to Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu to discredit the rebels gathered under the GAS movement.

However, few of those present today were MIC members. Many in attendance were former MIC members now in the Makkal Sakthi and IPF movements.

Mugilan had said he would dismantle the GAS movement if the turnout was poor.

Samy will find new fodder in the low turnout at the GAS gathering.

He also reportedly said that if the response to GAS was poor, it could only mean that the party wanted Samy Vellu to be president for life.

Former IPF secretary K. Panjamoorthy also blamed the venue switch for the poor turnout.

“You can’t get here if you don’t have a car,” he said.

Organisers also blamed alleged attempts by their opponents to “buy” party members.

Former IPF youth leader V. Veera, however, said the reason for the poor turnout was ennui among Indians.

“They think whatever they do, Samy vellu will continue in power,” he said.

“Umno is partly to be blamed for this situation,” he said. “They always supported Samy and defended him. They did not see the poor suffering Indian people behind Samu Vellu,”

Veera added that “Umno’s eyes are open now but the people need time to overcome their pessimism.”

Mugilan, however, said the event was only a first step for the Indian community in the country.

Among those present today was P. Chittakalla Vasu, who was recently charged with cheating the MIC’s education arm MIED to the tune of RM4 million.

Samy Vellu has so far sacked MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) members KP Samy, G. Kumar Aamaan and former Petaling Jaya MIC Division Chief V. Subramaniam or Bharat Maniam.

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AGI IDUP AGI NGELABAN

Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party Is Having Internal Crisis

KUCHING
Saturday, 23rd January 2010

Four state assemblymen, one Member of Parliament and three supreme council members of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party walked out of the party’s supreme council meeting this afternoon when party president William Mawan named Nelson Balang Rining, the state assemblyman for Ba’Kelalan as the new secretary-general.

Elected vice-president in December's triennial delegates assembly, Balang replaces Sylvester Enteri, the state assemblyman for Marudi.

The four assemblymen who walked out were Sylvester Enteri, Peter Nansian, state assemblyman for Tasik Biru, Rosey Yunus, state assemblywoman for Bekenu and Paulus Gumbang, state assemblyman for Batu Danau.

The MP who joined the walkout was Dr Tiki Lafe of Mas Gading.

The three supreme council members were George Garai, Peter Gani and Ida Iga.

'Mawan did not keep his promise'

Garai said that they walked out in protest over the appointment of Balang as the new secretary-general and Paul Igai, political secretary to the chief minister as his deputy.

“The president promised status quo to the line-up before the party’s triennial delegates assembly, but now it appears that he has not kept his promise. He also failed to honour his promise to appoint an elected representative to be deputy secretary-general of the party,” charged Garai.

“We don’t agree with the president’s choice,” he said.

Speculation has been rife that Enteri would be replaced as the secretary-general after he was alleged to have supported Philip Ngo in challenging the incumbent deputy president Peter Nyarok in the party elections last month.

Ngo was soundly beaten in the contest.

The beginning of a split?

Although Paul Igai denied that the eight party leaders walked out in protest over Balang’s appointment as the new secretary-general, observers see the walkout as a signal of a major split in the seven-year old party.

Any split now, said a veteran politician, is sure to undermine SPDP’s chances in the coming state election. SPDP has eight seats, many of which were won on a borderline majority.

But Mawan, according to his aides, believes that Balang’s appointment is to thwart the growing influence of Baru Bian, PKR state chairman in the Ba’Kelalan constituency.

They said that the president has his own reasons in reorganizing the party, and one of them is to strengthen his own position.

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Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban