Give the young a chance, Samy Vellu told

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MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu should step down honourably and let grassroots members choose their leaders in a democratic way, Utusan Malaysia reported.

This is because his continued dominance will not just be a liability to MIC but will affect the credibility of Barisan Nasional.

The newspaper quoted Universiti Sains Malaysia School of Social Science deputy dean Dr Sivamurugan Pandian as saying the main reason that MIC and Barisan were rejected by the Indian community was Samy Vellu’s leadership.

Dr Sivamurugan said, “Samy Vellu should give the opportunity to the younger generation to take over and not wait until it’s too late.”

Utusan Malaysia also quoted International Islamic University Malaysia political and international studies dean Prof Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak as saying Samy Vellu should stop an autocratic approach in determining the direction of the party.

“It is not a one-man show,” he said.

> Teenage sensation Aliff Aziz has apologised over photographs — posted on blogs and sent via e-mails — showing him passionately kissing an older woman, Harian Metro reported.

An embarassed Aliff said he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, adding: “I do not know the intention of the person who posted the photographs on the Internet but I know many people were affected by it.

“I hope those who were disappointed will not judge me based on the photographs alone,” the 18-year-old Singaporean said.

Aliff, who rose to fame with the hit song Sayang Sayang, was quoted as saying that it was the biggest mistake he had ever made.

Three photographs showing Aliff hugging and kissing a woman at a club were distributed via e-mail and in several entertainment blogs, resulting in the singer being heavily criticised.

> An elderly woman is being forced by her son to beg in Singapore during Ramadan as the value of the Singaporean currency is higher than that of the ringgit, Harian Metro reported.

The woman, in her 50s, begged for money around Masjid Sultan in Singapore as her son, in his 30s, watched from a distance.

The woman said she used to take home about S$150 (RM368) a day but the collection dropped to about S$80 (RM196) a day this year because of the economic downturn.