KUALA LUMPUR: Saying that it wanted to fully concentrate on the next general election, MIC has decided to postpone its party polls scheduled for 2012.
The decision to postpone the all-important MIC leadership election was taken at the party’s all powerful central working committee (CWC) meeting yesterday.
The CWC also decided to appoint S Vel Paari, son of former party president S Samy Vellu, as the party publicity and media relations bureau chief.
However, a senior leader who did not want to be named said the move to push back the election was to avert internal squabbling arising from the outcome of the party polls.
“It is a well-known fact that everyone is waiting for the presidential election. Some quarters are saying that it could turn into a three cornered tussle between president G Palanivel, Dr S Subramaniam (Human Resources Minister and MIC deputy president) and S Subramaniam (former deputy minister and ex-deputy president).
“If this was to take place, then obviously there would be some infighting among the leaders and their supporters. The party might be somewhat divided. To avoid this, the CWC decided to push back the party election,” he said.
If the party polls had proceeded next year, it would have been Palanivel’s first attempt at defending the post. Palanivel was appointed party chief after Samy Vellu’s retirement late last year.
This enabled Dr Subramaniam, who was then vice-president, to move up a rank and occupy the party number two seat.
His supporters have been wanting their leader to go for the top post since he is a minister holding a parliamentary seat compared to Palanivel who is only a deputy minister by virtue of being appointed a senator.
“This is the battle cry of Dr Subramaniam’s supporters. They want him to contest the top post because he is a minister and has a parliamentary seat. They feel he is more qualified to take over the party compared to Palanivel who is a deputy minister.
“He was only appointed senator by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak because the Barisan Nasional (BN) top leadership wanted Samy Vellu to leave at that time. So now Dr Subramaniam’s people want him to reclaim what was due to him,” said a party source.
Simmering battle
While the tussle between Palanivel and Dr Subramaniam seems to be more subtle, the same cannot be said of former deputy president Subramaniam.
He is seen to be more vocal on issues affecting the party, especially that involving MIC’s education arm the Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED). The veteran leader is expected to make a last-ditch attempt to become party supremo.
MIC practises a unique system, where the president is elected via a presidential election. The next presidential election was supposed to be on March 2012. The president is elected by the party’s 4,300 branch leaders.
Election of other top national office-bearers is held three to four months after the presidential election, where about 1,400 divisional delegates exercise their right to pick national leaders. The current term of positions – deputy president and downwards expires in June, 2012.
The CWC is empowered under the party constitution to postpone party elections.
The media was not invited for the CWC meeting at the party headquarters yesterday. Only vernacular daily Tamil Nesan, owned by Samy Vellu, ran a story on the party election postponement, quoting Palanivel.
Previously Umno, MCA and DAP were among the parties that have postponed their party polls in view of the expected early general election, which is legally due only 2013.
MIC Times to be launched
In a statement issued later, MIC secretary-general S Murugessan confirmed that the CWC had “unanimously decided to postpone all party elections until after the 13th general election”.
“This is to ensure that the entire party gives its undivided attention to the coming general election,” he said in a statement.
He also confirmed Vell Paari’s appointment as the head of publicity and communications bureau.
He added that the party will also be launching its own in-house bulletin called MIC Times beginning May to carry news on the activities of the party.
New publicity chief: No rift
In a related development, Vell Paari rubbished the speculation of a turmoil brewing in the party.
“There is no such thing, the relationship between the president and his deputy is good. It is just that some people cannot survive when things are peaceful in MIC, and hence make a childish attempt to create a rift,” he told FMT.
Vell Paari also said that the postponement of the party polls was in line with the decision taken by other BN parties.
“When the proposal to postpone the polls was brought up during yesterday’s meeting, everybody supported it,” he added. - FMT
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