MIC to meet with Zahid, ROS to iron out irregularities

MIC president meanwhile calls for calm and sets up temporary joint committee to oversee administrative matters within the party.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC has announced that party leaders G Palanivel and S Subramanian will meet with Home Minister Zahid Hamidi and officials at the Registrar of Societies (ROS) next week to seek clarification over issues concerning MIC’s internal elections.

The ROS on December 5 ruled that due to irregularities within the party’s internal elections, fresh elections for its three vice president positions and 23 Central Working Committee positions, among others, must take place.

The decision came after almost three hours of deliberation by the party’s top members which included former CWC member T Mohan and the party’s legal advisers at its headquarters in Menara Manikavasagam in Kuala Lumpur today.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, MIC President, G Palanivel said, “It’s not an appeal as we are not at that stage yet.

“We will meet with ROS and the Home Minister to seek clarification over the charges and irregularities that they found in order to resolve the issue,” he clarified.

Palanivel who was away on official business in Peru when the ROS letter was delivered to MIC, met with his party members for the first time today, and called for them to remain strong.

He also instructed a temporary joint committee be set up to oversee administrative matters within the party until such time when the party had resolved all outstanding issues with the ROS.

“We have to remain strong while we are going through these trying times.

“The party has to be managed well, and if not MIC will be de-registered as a political party,” he added.

Mohan who had earlier led the movement to reveal ROS’ findings on MIC’s elections and who pressed for re-elections, welcomed the party’s decision saying, “We appreciate the fact that we were included in the meeting.

“If they want to discuss the matter with ROS, we must agree with the leadership’s decisions,” he said adding, “Re-election must take place after the discussion.”

Earlier today, a minor fracas broke out between 500 MIC supporters who gathered outside the party’s headquarters when their leaders made an exit, necessitating the deployment of Federal Reserve Unit officers to manage the crowd.

The supporters were split into two factions with one faction led by Mohan and S Vellpaari and the other standing in solidarity with party President, Palanivel.