Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last night reminded MIC leaders at all levels to serve the community better and not be concerned only with positions in the party.

The Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional chairman said the party itself did not have power because power came from the people.

"The party wields power during the party elections but absolute power is with the people during general elections.

"We have to be humble and know how to endear ourselves to the people. If we help them, especially the needy, they will remember the deed," he said at the national Ponggal Festival organised by MIC and attended by about 3,000 people here.

Also present were Najib's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, MIC president and Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam, MIC deputy president Datuk Seri S. K. Devamany, Selangor BN chairman Tan Sri Noh Omar and Dewan Negara president and chairman of the festival organising committee Datuk Seri S. A. Vigneswaran.

Najib said that if MIC gave preference to the Indian community, he believed the community would support the party.

"Nevertheless, it cannot confine itself to helping only the Indians for it has to serve the other communities as well," he said.

The Prime Minister said the BN government did not thrive on rhetoric by merely making promises without fulfilling any.

Instead, it always fulfilled all its promises to help the people, including the Indian community, he said.

"It is unlike the opposition parties, they play politics a lot ... saying something at one time and something else later," he said.

Najib said that since becoming the Prime Minister he had chaired a Cabinet committee on Indian affairs in the effort to raise the living standard of the community.

"As a result, we approved not only huge allocations for the development of national type Tamil schools but also instructed that Tekun and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia loans be given to the Indian community.

"As for education, we reserved 1,500 places for Indian students in the matriculation programme besides increasing the number attending polytechnics. We have also provided huge allocations, so much so that up to 350,000 Indians have received all manner of entrepreneurship aid," he said.

The Prime Minister said he would launch a blueprint and implementation machinery for the development direction of the Indian community in the country.

Subramaniam, in his address, said MIC would remain with the BN to ensure that the country achieved greater success.

He said Najib, since becoming the Prime Minister, had implemented many programmes for the development of the Indian community. -- Bernama