Kuala Lumpur – MIC’s Central Working Committee (CWC) at its meeting held on Saturday 16 December 2017, at Serdang MAEPS (Malaysian Agricultural Exposition Park Serdang) has decided to reinstate former MIC Treasurer General Datuk R.Ramanan (pic) back into the party as the Branch Chairman of MIC Bandar Syed Putra Branch, under the MIC Bukit Bintang Division (Wilayah Persekutuan).
MIC sources said this decision comes in consequence of an appeal submitted by Ramanan requesting the CWC to reinstate his membership and the post of Branch Chairman. At the time of expulsion, Ramanan was also the Chairman of MIC Bukit Bintang Division. However, it is believed that in his appeal Ramanan in his appeal has declined the post of Division chairman and that he would like to continue in the party only as Branch Chairman.
Datuk Ramanan was expelled from MIC in December 2015 and subsequently submitted an appeal to be reinstated into the party, which was pending. A few months ago, his appeal was considered by the CWC but the decision was deferred due to differences of opinion among CWC members.
Meanwhile, Tamil media reports have stated that MIC branches aligned to former MIC Batu Division chairman A.K.Ramalingam have been accepted into their former status and that the MIC headquarters has been accepting membership from those branches. A source from MIC headquarters also confirmed this.
Since 2018 is an election year for MIC, all branches wishing to participate in the election process must submit their respective membership subscriptions on or before the 28th of December this year.
MIC United again
With the admission of branches aligned to A.K.Ramalingam and reinstatement of several leaders including Datuk Ramanan, MIC President Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam has successfully brought back into the party the warring factions and those aligned to former party President Datuk Seri G.Palanivel.
There are only a handful of MIC branches still outside the party but MIC sources said leaders of these branches have decided to quit politics and have refused joined back MIC for their own reasons.
Dr Subra on several occasions stressed the importance of unity in the party and invited all those still remaining outside to embrace the party again and to return to the fold. He also took several initiatives to negotiate directly with the leaders concerned, listening to their grievances. It is also believed that Dr Subra conceded to some of their demands to return to the party.
One of the demands is that all those members returning to the party should be given continuity of membership in the party without any break so that they too would be qualified to contest for positions in the party in the forthcoming party elections.
MIC Constitution stipulates that candidates willing to contest for the posts of President, Deputy President, Vice-Presidents, CWC, and state committee members shall have continued membership of 10 years in the party.
According to MIC sources, the CWC meeting held on 16 December 2017 also decided to convene an Extra-Ordinary General Assembly to amend some provisions of the MIC Constitution to give full legal rights to the members of MIC branches being re-admitted into the party.
-R.Mutharasan
