KUALA LUMPUR - MIC president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu said he will personally apologise to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the 'slipper garland' insult by an MIC member during the recent party congress.

He said he would seek an appointment with the former prime minister to tender his apology over the incident.

'I will meet him personally to explain the whole episode and extend my apology,' Datuk Samy Vellu said in a statement on Thursday.

The MIC chief said he and the MIC regretted the incident. 'I have always had the highest respect for Tun Dr Mahathir. He is a great leader and a statesman.'

He said Dr Mahathir had brought tremendous development to the country and had united the people. 'He will always be respected by us and all Malaysians,' Datuk Samy Vellu said.

Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir said he did not feel anything about the incident and added: 'Nothing would have happened to me.'

Instead, he said he would have felt angry and saddened if such an insult had been made by Umno members.

'This is not the first time I have been insulted. People might have forgotten how Umno leaders had insulted me. Nazri (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz) and the previous mentri besar of Kedah wanted me expelled from Umno.

'However, then no one gave any reaction. No one dared to say anything,' he said.

On Sukumaran's wish to apologise to him, Dr Mahathir said: 'Apologise also okay, don't want to apologise also don't matter. It's only when my own people hurl insults at me that I feel slighted.'

He said Sukumaran had now become a victim of his own action.

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