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A newspaper report anonymously claims I have disappeared mysteriously. FYI my party leaders and branch chairmen and members know I have been going  on the ground, not merely attending state AGMs but also meeting grassroots.

I take my politics seriously and I have stated my stand on all party issues clearly, especially on issues relating to my loyalty to the MIC and my support to the president. On the matter of sacking MIC leaders, I have also discussed my opinions directly with the president. These are party matters and where transparency is required I have made public the necessary issues but where confidentiality is required  I have also respected the need to be confidential.

I will not be compromising the party’s procedures and  where and when I will make public what concerns the public. As for the party, MIC leaders and members are well informed of my actions and action plans which is done through party communication lines.

I have never been one to jump into a public bandwagon for publicity and make mileage of conflicts and crises.

One does not have to busy in the newspapers to express views. I am traveling division by division in Selangor to explain the  current political situation. For example, yesterday I was in Puchong. the other day in Gombak and in the next few days I will be visiting other divisions.

I have been to the MIC state conventions in Penang, Wilayah Persekutuan, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor and Pahang. And the last statement I issued was quite recent…. so where is the so called ‘mysterious disappearance’?

We have been always supporting the president and standing with him on party issues.  Anyway, keeping quiet and calm is a very difficult job especially when you are second in command!

In addition, DS Samy Vellu is well qualified to handle all eventualities and knows the stand of all his supporters and loyalists.

Abandoning babies have not been a new phenomena. It has happened since ancient times, including Hindu puranic times and biblical times. Except in such cases, these abandoned babies were adopted and by kings and royalties and they grew up to not only become great leaders but are remembered to this day for their contributions.

In current times, abandoning babies and the death of such babies are continuing not only in Malaysia, but also in advanced countries like the United States and United Kingdom and throughout most parts of the world.

How do we deal with this phenomenon? What do we do to ensure that given the stress levels of today’s society, such problems do not become rampant? How do we prevent unwanted pregnancies?

Those who abandon babies are usually mothers in crisis situations. They are mothers who live in insecurity, in fear and in seclusion. These are mothers who hide their pregnancies. They are mothers who, throughout their pregnancies, are facing emotional crisis and lacking support of family members and friends. There are also those who abandon their babies in a moment of panic.

Firstly, the government has to look at long term solutions. It should set aside adequate funding to deal with the problem. It should look into proactive outreach programmes that educate and help in preventing unwanted pregnancies.

Secondly, government measures should be taken to ensure that the message reaches out to the women in trouble. Personnel should be trained and systems should be set up to be on the lookout for these mothers in very discreet ways. Awareness and a committed approach to the problem can at least see a reduction in statistics of abandoned babies.

A good approach is to set up a system by which these ‘mothers’ can be dealt with anonymously. Counselling and assistance should be channelled anonymously. Anonymity should be guaranteed.

Thirdly, the mothers should be encouraged to deliver their babies in safe places. For those who are ‘planning’ to abandon their newborn infants, safe heavens should be accesible. These can be LPPKN clinics, government primary health clinics, district hospitals, private hospitals, 24 hour clinics, government run welfare homes.

These safe heavens should be equipped to deal with abandoned babies. Identity of the mother should be confidential and she should not be threatened with prosecution.

Such a move will prevent or at least reduce the number of deaths of abandoned babies. It is more important to save a baby’s life than to prosecute the mother who abandons the baby!
Who knows one day these abandoned babies will grow up in safe homes and with good care grow up to be good citizens.

Tomorrow night, on the eve of Thaipusam, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak will make a historic visit to Batu Caves, whose geological history dates back to more than 400 million years. Here the PM will witness the largest gathering of Hindus. No other festival attracts such a large gathering as Thaipusam does.

Tomorrow’s visit is DS Najib’s second visit within five months, the first being in August 2009. It is good that he is following his father’s footsteps. This is a first time after the late Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak’s visit, that a Malaysian PM is coming to join us in celebrating Thaipusam.

The fact that the PM wants to be a part of this festival shows that he is ‘walking the talk’. Earlier last week, his trip to Chennai was also a first for a Malaysian PM. His visit to the city which is the capital of Tamil Nadu, highlighted his intention to give more attention to furthering better understanding and friendlier ties with people and institutions from a state where so many of today’s Malaysian Indians originated.

DS Najib’s intent and action will warm the hearts of many of us. This is surely a good start to his plans on further initiatives to focus and tackle the problems of Malaysian Indians.

The current situation in the country where three churches have been reported to have been burnt should be handled very carefully. Since the use of the word Allah has gone to the court of appeal all quarters should remain calm and should not turn it into a crisis. We should not prejudge and jump into unhealthy conclusions.

Remaining calm and following the right direction is the hallmark of good leadership. The top leaders in the country have called for discipline, restraint and calm in handling this sensitive issue.   All matters can be resolved with proper handling of the issue and it does not need to be further incited with negative emotions and actions.

The media too has a responsible role to play in this matter.

Religion is a sensitive issue and places of worship are sacred to all people. To live in harmony and peace, mutual respect and understanding is the only way to go. Our history of living together with one another has been an example for many countries in the world to emulate. We must not disregard the positive aspects we have learnt from our experiences. How can we be proud as Malaysians if we resort to attacks on our fellow citizens or taunt their belief systems?

The acts of vandalism against places of worship, and in the most recent case, against churches, is the work of irresponsible elements who are out to undermine the government’s efforts on national unity.  It certainly cannot be the work of responsible people and such acts should be condemned by every responsible citizen.

This morning I had the opportunity of meeting in Butterworth 60 participants of a seminar on Political Awareness organised by the MIC Penang . The participants were all members of the Penang MIC Youth and Women divisions. It was an interesting occasion because we were gathered to brainstorm some very pertinent issues that we as Indians were facing politically.

Since it was a seminar centered on the idea of creating awareness on political issues, I suggested to the participants that we had to first define ourselves politically. The next step was to plan how we must function like a political party and not like an NGO. We must strategically chart our work as a political party and raise the level of political awareness of the voters.

I also told them that we have to continously meet and talk to our voters and educate them on the importance of their voting power. We must make them politically aware and remind them that they should support those who support them.We should tell voters that they should vote for those who work for them.

I also brought to their attention that there is a new domestic political situation and that the international situation has also changed. We could not afford to overlook the new situation and that we were no longer in the comfort zones of the past.

There are  new problems now. We have to adjust to the new situation, meet the new requirements and solve the new problems. The challenge facing the MIC, the Indians and also the nation must be identified, discussed and debated such that we may produce and implement the best solutions.

We must do things that gives a better perception of our role as a political party. The electorate must see us as an entity that is willing to embrace its responsibility and deliver. Only then can we clear the misconceptions about us. We have to ponder and plan on what should be done to improve our status and create the right perception about us.

MIC must become a learning party; it must build its institutional capacity to function in a more productive way. It must meet the challenges with the right tools to succeed and become stronger in the process.