Samy Vellu regrets endorsing Palanivel for MIC No 1 post, says report

Former MIC president Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu believes the party will be 'all right' if the CWC re-elections are done under the right leadership. – The Malaysian Insider pic, February 21, 2015.As the internal crisis in the MIC continues to rage, the party's former president Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu said that he had made a mistake in endorsing Datuk Seri G.Palanivel as his successor, The Star reported today.

"I am very sad. I made a mistake by giving away this party without assessing this person. That is all I want to say,” he was quoted as saying during a Chinese New Year open house in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

However, the 78-year-old Samy, who was also a former Works Minister, was reported as saying that he was optimistic that the party re-elections, due to be held over the next few months, would be able to resolve the frictions.

“Going through new party elections is all right. The question is who is going to do it, how is it going to be done, and who are the people who will be handling it," The Star quoted him as saying.

“If the CWC comes together and selects a leader to run the elections, I think it will be all right," he added.

The party has been in turmoil after the Registrar of Societies (RoS) declared void the election results for the party's office bearers, at its annual general assembly in Malacca last November.

RoS then ordered MIC to hold a fresh election for the posts within 90 days through a letter dated December 5, 2014.

The MIC re-election will begin in May until July, with the branch level casting their votes in April, the division level in May and the central level in June and July.

MIC deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam has announced that he will contest the number one party post, challenging his boss Palanivel for control of the fractured party.

Palanivel, however, has said that he would take legal action against the RoS if it refused to rescind its order to the party to hold fresh elections.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has urged MIC to proceed with the polls to avoid deregistration.

- TMI