Tuesday, January 13, 2015

'Mixed Reaction To MIC's New Measures At HQ', Bernama, 12 January 2015

 



PUTRAJAYA, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- MIC's immediate changes which are being implemented at the party headquarters have received mixed reaction from its leaders and a political analyst.

MIC Youth chief C.Sivarraajh said the move by the party to stop some leaders from holding press conferences in the building was unfair, undemocratic and regressive.

Describing the decision as irrelevant, he said this could lead to more protests from MIC members.

"Those who have been shut out are members of the MIC, including key office- bearers and these leaders are recognised by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) like the Youth and Wanita chiefs.

"This is unlike the secretary-general (Datuk G. Kumaar Aaman) whose post is not recognised by ROS which has ordered re-election for the CWC and three vice-president posts," he told Bernama today.

Besides that, Sivarraajh said, the Youth and Wanita wings and their leaders, unlike the CWC, were recognised by ROS and barring them from using the party headquarters as a place for press conferences, would be like shutting the door on them.

Yesterday, Kumaar Aamaan introduced immediate changes that are being implemented at the MIC headquarters that will, among others, see only the party's national leaders allowed to hold official press conferences there.

These leaders are the MIC president, deputy president and vice-presidents, as well as secretary-general and treasurer-general.

Sivarraajh claimed that the post of the new "secretary-general" who was issuing the gag orders, was invalid since ROS had declared their election as null and void, and had ordered the party to hold re-election.

"At the same time, the president wants to practise greater democratisation and to hold election at all levels of the party, while the new 'invalid secretary-general' is resorting to authoritarian measures to shut out elected officials," he said.

Echoing similar sentiment, former MIC strategic director Datuk Seri S. Vell Paari has asked Kumaar Aaman to stop issuing statements as party secretary-general, claiming that the latter's appointment was "unlawful".

"Any policy matter that relates to the rights of MIC members must be decided at an emergency general meeting (EGM), not at the whim and fancy of Datuk Kumaar.

"I have no right to interfere in any statement made in his personal capacity, but if he continues to do so as an MIC office-bearer, then I will seek legal redress for acting to the detriment of the party," he said.

However, MIC Kuala Ketil branch chairman Datuk S.Subramaniam congratulated Kumaar Aaman for making the right decision to ensure that only bona fide persons could enter the MIC building.

"This is not the time to cry out who is right and who is wrong. Our party is supreme. I look forward to more innovative changes to bring betterment to the party and our community," he told Bernama today.

Universiti Sains Malaysia's School of Social Sciences senior lecturer, Assoc Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said Palanivel must clear the air on the secretary-general's appointment, so that whatever statements issued would not be questioned to avoid further friction within the party.

"If the appointment is invalid, then perhaps any statement should only come from either the president or deputy president to ease tension between the factions," he said.

-- BERNAMA

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