Media Statement (3) by Parliamentary Opposition Leader and DAP MP for Ipoh Timur Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Wednesday, 16th January 2008:

Is MIC politics the most violent of all political parties � and if so, why?

I received SMS from Malaysian Indians expressing alarm at the statement by Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu yesterday (reported in the Sun) that he wanted to be MIC President for another ten years.

I do not know whether Samy Vellu was serious about wanting to be MIC President for another ten years but the alarm he created among Malaysian Indians to have him around for another ten years as the MIC President and sole Indian Cabinet Minister is very real and serious indeed!

This is because the Malaysian Indians have never felt more deprived, alienated and marginalized from the mainstream of national development after Samy Vellu�s more than 28 years as the MIC President and sole Indian Cabinet Minister � a fact which Samy Vellu had stubbornly refused to concede.

The investigations into the gangland-style murder of Johore MIC Deputy Chief and Tenggaroh State Assemblyman, Datuk S. Krishnasamy last Friday seems to have taken a totally strange and surprising twist.

When news first broke of Krishnasamy�s gangland-style killing last Friday, there was legitimate widespread concern whether Malaysian politics have degenerated into a new phase with violence and even terrorism rearing their ugly head.

There were audible sighs of relief all-round when it became evident that Krishnasamy�s killing had nothing to do with politics or the Hindraf phenomenon with police investigations focused on his personal business dealings.

Things took a completely different turn however when the aide of the Johore MIC Chief, Datuk K. S. Balakrishnan and a former employee of Krishnasamy were arrested by the police for investigations in connection with the murder.

Samy Vellu himself was questioned by the police about Krishnasamy�s murder which, cumulatively, presented a picture that the killing of the Johore MIC leader was related to politics after all � but it was all about MIC politics!

Malaysians are asking whether MIC politics are the most violent in the country, especially as the two elected representatives killed in the past decade were both from the MIC (Krishnasamy and Lunas State Assemblyman in Kedah, Dr. Joe Fernandez who was openly shot to death in Bukit Mertajam in November 2000) to the extent that Samy Vellu could say death threats were commonplace for politicians.

Death threats were definitely not commonplace occurrences for DAP politicians. I believe this applies to other political parties, whether in the Opposition or in the Barisan Nasional � except for MIC.

Samy Vellu seemed to suggest that he could write a book just on death threats based on his 40 plus years in politics.

I have been in politics for more than 40 years but I will not be able to write a chapter, let alone a book, on death threats. Why is this so?

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* Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur & DAP Central Policy and Strategic Planning Commission Chairman