Retreat programmes to empower party machinery — MIC president

SERDANG: The MIC will organise more retreat programmes to strengthen the party’s election machinery and increase its capacity to prepare for the ‘Father of All Elections’.

Its president, Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam said as part of the party’s preparations to face the coming 14th General Election (GE14), the MIC had organised its first retreat programme at AIMST University, Sungai Petani, Kedah in May and at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park (MAEPS) here yesterday.

“We like to organise more retreat programmes and will continue doing so, to increase the party’s capacity.

"We want our people on the ground to be more prepared with a greater capacity,” he told a press conference after attending the National MIC Retreat, themed ‘Party Machinery Preparations’ towards GE14 at MAEPS here yesterday.

Also present were party deputy president and MIC General Election Strategy Committee chairman Datuk Seri SK Devamany and MIC SecretaryGeneral Datuk A Sakthivel.

Dr Subramaniam said MIC aimed at winning at least six parliamentary seats and one state seat in every state in the GE14 and hoped to retain its record in the GE13 where it won four out of nine parliamentary seats contested, and five out of 18 state seats. About 1,000 MIC members from throughout the country attended the retreat.

“We have discussions on how to manage and mobilise the party’s machinery in their respective constituencies effectively and structurally, to gain more support from Indian voters.

“We also want to empower the Jalinan Rakyat and Jalinan Rakyat Plus programmes to forge closer relations with the voters as part of our preparations for the GE14,” said the party president. — Bernama