KUALA LUMPUR, February 18 -Party members and observers are waiting with bated breath to see whether or not MIC will make good on its promise to take legal action against the Registrar of Society (RoS) over directives on party re-elections.
This follows the expiry of today’s 5 pm deadline given by MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel to RoS to retract its orders concerning the need to hold the polls stemming from alleged irregularities in the November 2013 MIC election.
At press time, there had been no word from both sides on their latest stand with regard to the issue. According to a political observer, MIC needed to reconsider its plan to take RoS to court for asking the party to conduct re-election at all levels, according to a political observer.
Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Social Sciences senior lecturer, Assoc Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian emphasized the best way was to follow what was agreed to by all parties that is to hold fresh elections for all posts at the various levels.
“If you insist on bringing the matter to court, the party faces the possibility of being banned and whether party interests prevail in this context. It (the re-election) is consistent with prior approval and it should be respected.
The party, said Sivamurugan, should respect the agreement reached in their discussions with the Barisan Nasional chairman, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, and BN deputy chairman, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, earlier. At press time, the ROS had yet to give any response to Palanivel’s ultimatum on Feb 14 that the body withdraws all its directives to the party or face legal action.
The MIC crisis arose after the ROS cancelled the election for the post of three vice-presidents and 23 central working committee (CWC) members during the MIC general assembly in Melaka in November, 2013, following complaints of election irregularities in eight branches.
In a letter dated Dec 5, last year, the ROS ordered the MIC to hold a re-election for these posts within 90 days. On Feb 9, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the MIC had to hold fresh elections for all elected posts between April and July to avert deregistration.
He said the decision was made by the ROS to ensure that the dispute over the election of the party’s office-bearers could be resolved once and for all. The party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) for 2009-2013, is to be known as the Interim CWC.
He said the elections for the party branches must be held in April, the presidential election in May and the elections for the divisions in June. The elections for the Wanita, Youth, Putera and Puteri wings have to be held between April and June, and those for deputy president, the (three) vice-presidents and the CWC, as well as the general assembly have to be held in July.
In the meantime, another political analyst said the Barisan Nasional (BN) component party will lose the support of the Indian community and MIC voters if the crisis is prolonged. He contended that the MIC leadership should sit together, minus all ego, and discuss to find a solution in the interest of the Indian community and not based on personal interests.
Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Fuad Mat Jali said the MIC leadership must realise that if this crisis continued there would be no harmony in the party and it would lose the support and confidence of voters who had been disappointed.
“Given the crisis is not resolved, with existing factions taking sides and creating an altogether unhealthy situation divisions will occur spliting the party,” said the Geo-Politics lecturer from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, University Kebangsaan Malaysia.
“If the party leadership is sincere and wants MIC to revert to its original state then it must abide by the proposals made by the prime minister and BN earlier,” said Mohd Fuad.
– BERNAMA
