PETALING JAYA, JUNE 7- The Registrar of Societies (ROS) today came under fire for its apparent determination to punish DAP and reluctance to act on complaints against MIC.
S Padnmanagan, who heads MIC’s SS2 Tengah branch here, said ROS had yet to get back to him on a complaint he filed last May 20 over his party’s failure to conduct internal polls within the period stipulated in its constitution.
He told FMT he sent ROS a legal notice yesterday to demand information on the status of its investigation.
“Why is ROS dilly dallying in investigating my complaint against MIC but is quick to act against DAP?” he said.
“It is because MIC is a BN component party whereas DAP is not?”
MIC is split into two camps over the date of party polls.
Acting president G Palanivel has obtained the approval of the party’s central working committee (CWC) for branch polls to be held this December, which means the election of the president and other top office bearers would likely be delayed until next year.
Those opposed to the CWC decision want the branch elections to be held as soon as possible because the term of the current leadership has already exceeded the three-year limit set in the party constitution.
MIC held its last election in 2009. S Samy Vellu retained the presidency, but he stepped down in 2010 and Palanivel took over as acting president.
Under MIC’s system, the president is picked not by divisional delegates but the 3,800 branch leaders. The party conducts its presidential election three months before electing a deputy president, three vice presidents and 23 CWC members.
The branch elections should have begun in February last year, but the party decided on a postponement to allow it to prepare for the 13th general election instead.
Padnmanagan urged ROS to practise the same kind of professionalism it did when it deregistered Umno in 1988.
“ROS is a government agency, not a political party,” he said. “So it should act professionally. Otherwise the public would perceive it as an altogether useless agency.”
