KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC crisis takes another twist with Datuk Seri G. Palanivel announcing yesterday that the party presidential election will be held in September.
After chairing a meeting of the interim 2009 Central Working Committee here yesterday, the party president said the branch elections would be held from July 24 to 26, with the nomination set for July 15 and 16.
The holding of the elections was one of six resolutions approved by the CWC at its meeting.
Palanivel, reading out a statement to reporters, said the CWC “strongly reprimands and cautions suspended deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam from holding out as the acting president of MIC”.
He also said that no member of the MIC shall claim or acknowledge Dr Subramaniam as the acting president.
Palanivel, who is Natural Resources and Environment Minister, said the CWC would write to all branch chairmen immediately, instructing them not to entertain any matters whatsoever, including request for nomination relating to the elections, from Dr Subramaniam.
The CWC meeting also resolved that Datuk S. Sothinathan, whom Palanivel claimed was the secretary-general, would take all the steps necessary to secure possession of the MIC headquarters from “the unlawful occupiers”.
Palanivel said a special committee would be set up to recover all assets of the party, including the AIMST University, Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED), TAFE College, Koop Didik and Yayasan Pemulihan Sosial.
Asked to comment on his post as the MIC president, Palanivel said he was still the rightful party president and that the letter from the Registrar of Societies acknowledging that he was no longer an MIC member had been taken out of context.
Dr Subramaniam is claiming that he is now the MIC acting president because Palanivel had lost his membership after he and four others took party matters to court.
Dr Subramaniam had announced that nomination for branch elections would be held on July 10, 11 and 12 and the elections a week later, on July 18.
He had also said that he hoped the process of the re-election for all the posts would be completed by the end of October.
The MIC crisis erupted following differences of opinion between Palanivel and Dr Subramaniam after the RoS issued a notice on Dec 5 last year instructing the party to hold fresh elections for the three vice-presidential and 23 CWC posts.
The RoS had nullified the elections held in November 2013 following complaints of irregularities. — Bernama