MIC to hold fresh elections in June, reports daily

MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel says the party will hold fresh elections beginning in June. – The Malaysian Insider pic, February 1, 2015.MIC will hold fresh party elections as directed by the Registrar of Societies, party president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel announced today.

The party elections will begin in June, Palanivel was reported as saying by The Star, following his visit to Johor.

"The ongoing political issue in the party involves a small group of people," he said, dismissing the current turbulence in the party.

"Everyone says there is a huge problem in the party, but I do not see it," he said, adding the small group of people were between 300 and 400.

Palanivel said he decided to go ahead with fresh elections after several discussions with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The elections are expected to begin in June and will go on until November, Palanivel said after meeting with about 450 MIC branch chairmen in Johor.

He said he was not worried about the opposition against him as he was confident of securing the support of 3,000 out of 4,000 branch chairmen nationwide.

Among those he could count on for support included branch chairmen in Selangor, Johor, Kedah, Negri Sembilan and Pahang.

MIC deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam and vice-president Datuk M. Saravanan had urged Palanivel to respond to the RoS findings that the elections of its central working committee members in 2013 were problematic and that fresh polls should be held.

The MIC chief had insisted he was doing his best to resolve the situation, but his appointments of new state leaders angered his critics.

In the changes to state party chiefs, Saravanan was replaced as Federal Territory state liaison committee chairman by Datuk Rajoo Vyraperumal, while Tan Sri Ramasamy Muthusamy took over from Palanivel as Perak chief.

Datuk Ganesan Arumugam was named as new Negri Sembilan state liaison committee chief, taking over from Datuk S. Sothinathan.

The Star also reported previously that Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would meet with Palanivel and Subramaniam, as the home ministry is in charge of the RoS.

- TMI