Professionals, youths to be roped in to run MIC

KANGAR: More professionals and youths will be roped in to run the MIC branches in a bid to regain the Indian community's trust and confidence in the party and Barisan Nasional, president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said.

He said the MIC would have to think of new strategies to woo them into the party as previous approaches may have not been acceptable.

Speaking Friday at the opening of the Perlis MIC state convention here, he said the party has set its sights on young graduates.

He also said the MIC would discard the “old methods” that had prevented them from voicing their ideas and dissatisfaction through the party.

“We want to allow for more voices, especially from the professionals and youths, to be heard,” he said, adding that the move was part of the party’s re-branding exercise that was launched recently.

Samy Vellu said the time has come for the party to re-look at the way the branches and divisions have been operating and inject new dynamism and work culture among the leaders.

He said what the party needed to do now was to stop the “soul searching" process and the “denial syndrome” and get on with the job of rejuvenating the MIC.

He said that the MIC would give its “full backing” for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to fulfil the pledges made by the Barisan Nasional in the last general election.

“This is our priority now. We want the Government to fulfil all its pledges made in the Ninth Malaysia Plan for the Indians,” he said, adding that by doing so, it would regain the Indians’ trust in the Government and the Barisan Nasional.