MIC president S Samy Vellu has criticised former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad for not giving anything to the Indian Malaysian community under the Eighth Malaysia Plan (8MP).

According to a front-page report in Tamil daily Makkal Osai today, Samy Vellu said Mahathir had promised 'this and that but in the end told the community nehi ('no' in Hindi)'.

However, the Works Minister said he was confident that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would keep his word and deliver the promises made to the community under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).

Samy Vellu - who was always considered a close ally of Mahathir during his 22-year rule - said this in his speech at an MIC gathering in Johor yesterday.

The veteran politician stressed that if the community does not get what is promised under the 9MP, 'we will make noise and demand for it'.

Samy Vellu said he had suggested to the government that a special quarter be set up to monitor what was being received by the community.

Following this, he said the Prime Minister's Department had assigned an official to look into the problems faced by the community.

According to Samy Vellu, the prime minister had instructed that all issues pertaining to the Indian community be discussed with the MIC first.

The party president stressed that MIC was here to look after the welfare of the community.

Sothinathan's suspension

Samy Vellu also touched on the action taken against the party's secretary-general and Teluk Kemang MP, S Sothinathan.

Last June, the Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister was suspended from his cabinet post without pay for three months when he broke rank with the government over the de-recognition of the Ukraine-based Crimean State Medical University (CSMU).

He was said to have breached the Code of Ethics for BN members when he supported an opposition motion which questioned CSMU's de-recognition.

CSMU has a large number of Indian Malaysian students.

Commenting on this yesterday, Samy Vellu said Sothinathan 'was hit' instead of him.

He then asked what action had transpired when Backbenchers Club head and Umno politician Shahrir Abdul Samad broke rank and supported an opposition motion in Parliament recently.

Shahrir has since resigned from the BBC and is not expected to face any further action.