‘Re-election goes on no matter what’
Palanivel: MIC will go ahead with polls regardless of judicial review decision
IPOH: The MIC re-election will go on irrespective of the outcome of the judicial review proceedings against the Registrar of Societies (RoS), says Datuk Seri G. Palanivel.
The party president said he had discussed with both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister.
The decision from the proceedings would not interfere with the party polls, he said. “We are prepared for the re-election,” he said after a meeting with Perak MIC division and branch chiefs here yesterday. Palanivel claimed he had strong backing from party members in Penang, Malacca, Johor, Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Perlis.
“I have the support of 2,292 division and branch chiefs,” he said at a press conference after the meeting.
Earlier this month, Palanivel and three party leaders had filed the application for judicial review proceedings against the RoS over its directive for the party to hold fresh elections.
The three others were vice-presidents Datuk S. Sothinathan and Datuk S. Balakrishnan, and former secretary-general A. Prakash Rao.
In George Town, deputy president Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam said Palanivel should bear responsibility for the imbroglio as he was the elections committee chairman during the 2013 party election in which the RoS found irregularities in the poll process.
“As such, the dispute can be easily solved by holding re-elections rather than going to court,” he said.
“RoS has given a timeline and if we don’t hold elections soon, the party will face deregistration,” he said.
“RoS recognises the party’s CWC of 2009 and said that it should hold the elections; so, we will,” he told newsmen after meeting about 100 MIC leaders in Batu Maung.