Kuala Lumpur, June 17 : Malaysian Indian Congress President S. Samy Vellu has said that the person who aims to replace him must be devoted to the party and community.

Speaking in an interview to Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), he stressed: "The person must earn the trust and respect of MIC members and must also know how to communicate."

Samy Vellu, who took over the party presidency in 1979, said no matter what, the president would still have to be elected after every three years.

"If members feel that the president has not performed well, they can boot him or her out in the elections," he said.

"If you set it to a specific term, the president may not want to do more or have a long-term plan. He or she may feel that why should they mind about the future plans of the party since they will only serve for a short period," Vellu added.

Samy Vellu stressed that he would not seek re-election if members felt that there should be a leadership change.

The star quoted him, as saying, "The MIC is made up of 630,000 members. If they feel that they want a change, I will abide by their decision," he said, adding that the party was more important to him than anything else.”

Samy Vellu also said that although he was no longer a minister, Human Resources Minister Dr. S. Subramaniam, who is the MIC secretary-general, handled the party’s views and proposals at Cabinet-level. (ANI)