Aarvidi’s Weblog

Samy to defend post one last time

Honestly, I did not want to post on this ludicrous claim of Sami Vellu, who wants to hang on till 2012, at the time he will be 77 years old, tottering about. It is not my wish to say bad of old people as every one of us will face old age, including me. At a time when he should be playing around with his grandchildren, I wonder if he has got any, and taking life easy, he is deluding himself putting on a big show how the country would miss his involvement with politics, somebody so special, so knowledgeable, an icon, a demi-god, but the greatest is, he is the saviour of the Indians. I know politicians are incongruous liars, and in maintaining their status turn into scums of the gutters. His 32 years of rule was a failure, and Indians know he has driven them to obscurity, and damnation.

Mahathir created havoc and today people are clamouring for his blood. Samy is no Mahathir, and just the Telecoms shares and Maika can string him to a tree. Being in a vulnerable position why can’t he go away. He has made enough money and at the age of 72 and the proceeds of his investment, ahem corruption, live like a monarch. You have swindled the Indians, let them come out of it, they don’t require a saviour. They threw shoes at him, abused him, called him names, is that not enough. What is he trying to prove.

I read the the Tamil paper Malaysia Nanban today. There was condemnation after condemnation on his wanting to carry on. There was not one person supporting him.

Let me start with V.Govindaraj, his one time drama companion and a close friend. He says, Samy Vellu wanted to go away, when he was not required by the Indians, and now he is adamant to stick on till 2012. This is tantamount to demolishing MIC, and the young leaders and supporters will have no respect for him. People won’t forgive him.

Our good friend KS Nallakaruppan, has good words for Subra, Subra should not have joined again with Samy Vellu.

Awang Selamat quoted in Malaysiaanban says, UMNO, Gerakan, and MCA leaders have gone, why must Samy remain.

Another chap Loganathan, from Sungei Siput, has the following:

• Samy wants to bring in Vel Pari his son in 3 years
• Samy has lost the respect of the Indians, is a dictator, and since he has declared anyone can contest, has only eyes for his son.
• He is not bothered what happens to the Indian community, he wants to indulge in power
• Samy will start a cleansing of MIC’s foes
• MIC is not his own party
• MIC is lost

Another chap Arumugam, sorry he is a Datuk, says why is Samy fighting to free the Hindraf Detainees, he should have done that when in the cabinet. He is only doing this to camouflage his defeat.

So, in a nutshell, is Samy deaf, dumb, thick skinned,not human, a walking lifeless man, who cannot read the responses of the people.

Samy to defend post one last time

Apr 4, 08 7:22pm

Embattled MIC president S Samy Vellu is not ready to thrown in the towel just yet.

The 72-year-old politician today said he will be defending his post for the last time in the presidential elections in March next year.

The former works minister reiterated that it would be his last term leading the party and that he would not contest in the next general election.

“I will definitely contest for the president’s post. I’ve already said I will retire after 2012.

“But I will not contest anymore in the general election. It’s enough,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Samy Vellu, who lost in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat in last month’s general election, said he welcomed contest from anyone who wanted to challenge him for the top post which he had held for 27 years.

“Let anyone contest, I don’t want to say who will contest or what. Anybody can contest and I will be very happy because I want to see what strength they have,” he said.

Rebuild the party

He was returned unopposed in the presidential election for the 10th consecutive term, making him the longest-serving MIC president.

Samy Vellu said he would be choosing candidates for the next general election should the 13th general election be held before or in 2012.

“I will still be deciding on the candidates, then I say goodbye,” he said.

As for now, the MIC supremo said he would be focusing on overhauling the party at all levels, starting with a series of meetings with grassroots leaders from next month.

Samy Vellu said he would revamp the state MIC liaison committees after the party’s general assembly in July.

He also said the party had set a target to rope in at least 200,000 young members in the next two years as part of the drive to rejuvenate the largest Indian-based party to remain relevant to the community.

The party suffered a blow in the March 8 general election, winning only three of the nine parliamentary seats and seven of the 19 state seats.

“We want to overhaul the party and have changes in the leadership,” said Samy Vellu. “I am happier now. I am able to do more work and contribute to the party.”

Samy to defend post one last time

Samy Vellu, MIC

I was reading a blog article on cooking rice now and in the years gone by and it brought back memories which I share with you.

Years back, 20, 30, or so my mother and others cooked rice in a way not influenced by the present day rice cookers. The rice is cleaned, running water through it a few times, then it is placed in a hollow bowl usually an earthen container and boiled over an open fire using firewood - no electric or gas stoves then. Water will be added to just below the mouth of the container and the stuff is boiled. When cooking is over the rice must be filtered from the water; the contents remains soggy with rice and water. Every house will have a wooden gadget shaped like the 2 H alphabet placed on top of the other without the centre line. The boiled rice is then placed on this gadget and the water is filtered away.

The starch mixed with water is known as ‘Kanchi Thani’ in Tamil, and it was one of the best forms of starch when you wish to iron your clothes, which those days were all cotton, no synthetic stuff. This filtered water was fed to cows and goats.

My father owned a cow or two, mostly a single animal, as looking after cows was a tedious job, which my father did to supplement his income besides working in the Railways - part time husbandry. So ‘kanchi thani’ was required to feed the cow. My father cut out empty kerosene tins and fixed wooden handles embedded to the inside for ease of carrying. My job was to place these empty tins in the neighbour’s houses and collect the ‘kanchi thanni’ on a daily basis. Was it heavy, not so if the people don’t dump the remnants of rice and other edibles not consumed. Then you struggle a bit to carry the tin - this was when I was still in my pre-teens. The starch corrodes the bottom of the tin very fast and my father a mason or brick-layer, had the bottom cemented to prolong the live of the tin. Phew that was heavy. But struggled I did, to bring the tin home.

It was the practice then to mix this decanterd rice water with oil cake (punnaku in Tamil) for cows giving milk and pregnant ones, possibly to give them extra nutrition. Again this oil cake can be from coconut (coconut oil) or sesame seed(gingerly oil). My grandfather in Batu Gajah had two of these oil mills - don’t be carried away by the word mill, this is the nearest word I can think of, but in actual fact they were two contraptions made of wood, a big bowl with a pestle of wood as well, which a bull will pull in a circle to pound the contents either coconut or sesame seed. When the contents have been pulverised, the oil is drained off and the remnants become oil cake. Even today, older people, will curse a lazy person as a ‘chekku maadu’ meaning the bull that goes around and around the monotonous beaten path.

Now to continue with the rice water, boiling rice the old way removes the starch, and the present health conscious world of rice eaters may benefit by cooking the rice thus. But can present wives do this. After a hard days work, barely any of them cook in the house, reserving the cooking for the week-end or holiday. Even full time house wives are so used to the rice cooker, they may not know how to cook the rice the old way. They talk about ‘neraikatrathu’ and measure the limited water in the rice cooker with the fingers dipped in water to know how much water is needed. the old mothers just filled up the water to the brim of the pot and as I remember the rice cooked was different. Anyway this is a price we pay for modernisation. Phew.

Gettin my learn on. « Textiles and Bicycles

My dad told me a lovely story today about cooking rice. Apparently back in the day, while growing up in Northern India, they would make rice by boiling it in water and then draining the starch-laden water, much the same as we do with pasta. The way I’ve seen most folks make rice these days is to use the exact amount of water necessary leaving nothing to drain. The way my father used to do it eliminates most of the starch in white rice, making it much healthier. Now the best part is that they then used the starchy water to starch their laundry! They would rinse their clean clothes in the starchy water and then hang them out to dry…presto, starched clothes. Spray starch is rendered useless and the earth can smile. or at least crack one for a sec.

How’s that for some recycling?

Nalla to defectors: Goodbye and stay away

George Orwell was a famed writer of books like ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘Nineteen Eighty Four”. We commonly talk about Orwellian theory which mentions Big Brotheretc, i.e. the government watching over you. Those who would like to read Animal Farm can find it on line courtesy blogger Lulu, Lulu is a fantastic lady and when she is at her best, her postings are witty, informative and fun to read. Sample her at What A Lulu.

Now back to George Orwell. One of his reference to politics says political language…is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.

With in mind I post about the latest news on the upcoming politician KS Nallakaruppan, President Malaysian Indian United Party or MIUP, who has to gall to say good bye to his defectors and advises them to stay away. This is obvious in reference to Balasupramanyam of Penang, an ex MIC chap, a committed party member in Penang who within 4 or 5 months accomplished a Herculean task of opening up 100 branches and 3000 members. Only the people in Penang can tell us if this be true, every street, every taman must be having MUIP branches, congrats to the ever hard working Balasupramaniyam; typing his name makes me type bhanupriya I wonder why.

It is not the 100 branches or 3000 members that worry KS Nalla, he has said goodbye to them, but these dissidents are now hell-bent to attract those remaining to come out as well. Supramaniya is taking on the antics of an Indian snake charmer blowing on his gourd music to attract the members left behind. This worries Nalla; what if the gourd music is alluring and the charmed members leave MUIP for good leaving the party high and dry without a trace.

What bothers me is this. The 3K members must have been from other component Indian parties and when Supramaniya blew the gourd instrument they followed him, now that Supramaniya has again taken up his instrument again is it possible for the remaining members to desist the wondrous tantalising snake music. They will go, unless KS Nalla takes up gourd music to do the opposite.

The truth is out, KS Nalla was doing the bidding of the leaders to leave Anwar, is this a ploy to go back to PKR with a thousand apologies, ‘Boss, I was misled, these fellows influenced me, can I return, don’t worry no more Ijok tantrums.’ Will Anwar take him back?

It is worth mentioning, KS Nalla does not believe in money politics but political belief; whatever political belief may refer to. MIUP deputy president S Arumugam and vice president R Jagathisvaran, also live on free air alone they too abhor money politics. What Gandhian principals.

Lies must sound truthful and murder repectable, Orwell said, what KS Nalla is experiencing the childish saying, tit for tat butter for fat, you are after all a politician.

I have a good story, The Pied Piper Of Malaysia, let me keep this for the future.

Nalla to defectors: Goodbye and stay away

Apr 5, 08 11:17am

Malaysian Indian United Party defectors have been warned not to cause disruption and disharmony in the party which they left behind.
Party president KS Nallakaruppan said that while he could not stop a handful of leaders from leaving, he would not however sit idly when these defectors start causing problems to the party from outside.
“We know that some of these defectors are trying to create problems for us by contacting our members and state leaders, asking them to leave the party.
“Let me warn them to stop these activities. Once they are out of the party, they should just concentrate on serving their new party. They should not try to pull our members out to join them,” he said today.
In the aftermath of the general election, MIUP has been hit by several defections involving some top level leaders, all of whom had returned to their old party PKR.
Some of these leaders were with Nallakaruppan when he left PKR last year following a fallout with PKR leader and good friend Anwar Ibrahim. These leaders then joined forces with him to establish MIUP, which was launched on Nov 25 last year. In the recently held general election, MIUP threw its full support behind BN.
Referring to the leaders who went back to PKR, Nallakaruppan said that he hoped the party (PKR) would be aware of the character of these defectors.
“Some of them played an important role in influencing me to part ways with Anwar and the party.
“Now they have gone back to the party, stating that they only believed in PKR’s ideology. I hope Anwar is aware of the sort of people he is dealing with.
“These are people aiming for financial rewards, not those who have any form of political belief,” added Nallakaruppan.
Political opportunists

The former businessman said that it was a blessing in disguise for his party that these defectors had gone now and “not at a later date when their absence would have been felt deeper”.
“I still have my loyal supporters, members whom I brought into MIUP. These people will help me serve the community. We don’t need political opportunists,” he added.
He said that he had already replaced the departed leaders with capable persons who enjoy strong grassroots support.
“These defectors will one day regret leaving us. They will see that MIUP will survive without them, even do much better than they had anticipated.
“Our aim is to help the community. We will not waver from that cause. Leaders may come and go but our aim will remain. Our members will remain focussed in achieving that,” added Nallakaruppan.
‘Many still with us’

The latest defection to effect the party is the Penang state leader in L Balasupramaniyam who is said to be upset and disillusioned with Nallakaruppan’s ‘diddling’ political style. He is expected to join PKR soon.
Yesterday MIUP’s leadership rallied around Nallakaruppan, defending his leadership style and the party’s future.
In a statement issued to the media, MIUP deputy president S Arumugam and vice president R Jagathisvaran, said that members can leave the party if they “cannot perform or expect monetary gains to serve the people”.
“Nallakaruppan did not in any way compromise the interests of thousands of MIUP members for his selfish gains,” they said.
Arumugam and Jagathisvaran said that they were confident that MIUP could achieve its aims of servicing the community.
“We are confident that many of our members are with us in our struggles,” they added.

Nalla to defectors: Goodbye and stay away