KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15- MIC will begin to issue nomination forms for its long-awaited presidential polls today at the party’s headquarters and respective state offices.
MIC secretary-general A. Sakthivel said the decision was taken at the Management Committee meeting, chaired by party president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, at the MIC’s headquarters here yesterday afternoon.
He added that the meeting also finalised all matters pertaining to the presidential election that would be handled by a seven-member MIC election committee headed by Tan Sri K. Kumaran, the party’s permanent speaker.
Besides Sakthivel, the five others are lawyer Datuk Siva Paranjothi, Datuk S. S. Rajagopal (central working committee (CWC) member), Datuk V. Jagarasah (former CWC member and former Batu Caves assemblyman), Datuk S. Murugesan (CWC member and former MIC secretary-general) and lawyer M. Selva Kumar.
Nomination for the MIC president post has been set for Sept 1 (from 10am to 12 noon), with polling scheduled for Sept 22, in the event of a contest.
Apart from the presidential election, MIC will also hold elections for other national positions later this year. Other posts up for grabs are deputy president, three vice-president posts and 23 CWC members.
The date of for this election is yet to be fixed.
When contacted by Bernama, Sakthivel said the nomination forms were currently being printed for distribution tomorrow.
“The election steering committee would meet again to iron out the details. We have to also wait until all branches complete their annual meetings before we can come up with the electoral list,” he said.
He said MIC branches are currently holding their annual meetings and this is was expected to be completed by the end of the month.
“A total 4,000 branch chairmen will cast their ballots to pick the party president,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a statement here, Kumaran said an MIC presidential aspirant wanting to contest the post must firstly, be a branch chairman, and he must also obtain 50 nominations and each nomination form must have a proposer and five seconders.
He added that all proposers and seconders must also be branch chairmen and CWC members.
Commenting on the election committee’s role, Kumaran said it will prepare, study the presidential election bye-laws, draw the arrangements and also plan for the upcoming presidential election.
Palanivel, who took over the party leadership when former Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu stepped down in 2010, had also declared that it would be his last term if elected as the party president.
It is highly speculated that party deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam and Health Minister will probably challenge Palanivel, who is Natural Resources and Environment Minister, for the top post.
Palanivel had made it clear that he is ready to face any challenger to defend his post while Dr Subramaniam, who has remained mum over the speculation report, is said to make announcement soon.
The MIC practices a unique system where the top party leader is chosen by its 4,000 branch chairmen.
– BERNAMA
