All BN leaders should take blame for poor performance

KUALA LUMPUR, April 20. MIC president Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu said Sunday all Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders should take the blame for the coalitions poor performance in the last general election instead of the Prime Minister.

In reiterating the MICs undivided support for Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister, he said: "Every one of us have to take a slice of the blame."

He criticised former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo for calling on Abdullah to hasten the power transition to his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, saying "he (Khir) has to take a bigger slice" of the BNs poor show in the general election.

"This is because just two days before Deepavali, you (Khir) had ordered the demolition of the (Hindu) temple in Padang Jawa (in Shah Alam) that enraged the Hindu community throughout the country," he said in a statement here Sunday.

Samy Vellu said on the day the temple was demolished, he had rushed to a hotel in Shah Alam to meet Abdullah and Khir who were attending a function.

"I begged him (Khir) not to demolish the temple but he refused citing a court order. I told him that if the temple was to be demolished, it would mean demolishing the Barisan Nasional," he said.

However, according to Samy Vellu, Khir refused to listen even despite Abdullah's intervention and went against the Prime Ministers advice.

He asked Khir not to run away from the fact that the demolition of the temple despite his (Samy Vellu's) appeal was the "single major cause of Indians voting for the opposition".

"It is very unfair and unreasonable for Dr Khir to ask for the Prime Ministers resignation," he said.

He said since the people voted in the Barisan Nasional to form the government under the leadership of Abdullah, their verdict must be respected.

"Let us stop blaming the Prime Minister for everything. We must all take the blame," he added.

Bernama