PUTRAJAYA: A hunger strike in front of the Registrar of Societies (ROS) office here by an MIC leader is not part of Malaysian culture, said MIC deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam yesterday.
“It is not a culture we should allow. Not in Malaysia. This is an Indian culture. Leave it in that continent.
“We should bring the good aspects and not the bad aspects of the (Indian) culture into this country,” he said when commenting on the hunger strike by MIC secretary-general Datuk G Kumar Aaman.
Dr Subramaniam, who is the health minister, was speaking to reporters after delivering his New Year message to the ministry staff here.
Kumar Aaman kicked off his hunger strike at about 2pm yesterday to protest a ROS directive, which he had received on Monday, that his position as MIC secretary-general is invalid.
Kumar Aaman said he would not eat until the Home Ministry stepped in and removed the director-general of the ROS.
“I will sleep outside the building and ingest only liquid until justice is done,” he said.
The situation outside the ROS here was reported to be calm and under control.
MIC president Datuk Seri G Palanivel had announced the appointment of Kumar Aaman as the secretary-general earlier this month, along with other appointments to key positions in the party.
On Wednesday, Dr Subramaniam revealed that the ROS had stated in writing that it did not recognise the
appointments made by MIC following its order for the party to hold fresh elections for certain posts.
On Dec 5, the ROS nullified the elections for the party’s three vice-presidents and 23 Central Working Committee (CWC) members that were held during its general assembly in November 2013, and recommended a re-election within 90 days.
On another question, Dr Subramaniam said he would meet Palanivel next week to discuss the party crisis in order to find a solution.
“I am always hopeful that the president would meet and talk to me,” he said. — Bernama