PUTRAJAYA: MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam is confident that Datuk Seri Najib Razak, as Barisan Nasional chairman, will make the right decision concerning the ongoing tussle for the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat.
Dr Subramaniam however noted that MIC has already conveyed its stand on the matter to the Najib, who is also prime minister, and is awaiting a final decision.
“Our stand has been very clear on the matter and we have already told the prime minister. He will make the final call and he knows what decision to make," he told reporters after attending the Health Ministry's Deepavali open house here today.
He was responding to People's Progressive Party (MyPPP) president Tan Sri M Kayveas's recent declaration that the latter intended to contest in Cameron Highlands.
Dr Subramaniam had previously said that Najib had informed him that the seat belongs to MIC and would not be changed.
Dr Subramaniam also argued that Kayveas's claim that MIC is not doing enough for the people in the constituency was untrue.
“We admit, we had some problems in the party as the current member of parliament (Datuk Seri G. Palanivel) who had won the seat under a MIC ticket, is currently a sitting MP and we respect that.
“Palanivel had been funding projects for the people there previously. To say that MIC is not doing anything for the people in Cameron Highlands is not true. People there know about MIC, so I don't think it is an issue.”
On a separate matter, Dr Subramaniam, who is also Health Minister, said more than 300,000 screenings for tuberculosis (TB) had been carried out by since the beginning of the year.
This, he said, is to ensure that those who suffer from the disease will receive the right treatment without delay.
“An average of 23,000 Malaysians suffer from the disease every year. However the ministry’s screenings have made it possible for doctors to identify and treat the disease," he said.
He was responding to a viral message which claimed that three students of SMK 17 Subang Jaya were struck down by TB.
“We have not received any reports on the matter. We will check on it,” he added.