MIC revamp needs EGM nod says Vell Paari

Party rival takes fresh swipe at Palanival with snide reminder of election debacle.

MIC strategic director S Vell Paari, stepping up his rivalry with party leader G Palanivel, took another swipe at the president with a reminder of the need for an extraordinary general meeting to approve any plans for a revamp of MIC’s Youth and women’s wings.

Palanivel had said in a press interview on Saturday that he intended to fold Putera MIC and Puteri MIC for below-35s into the party’s respective Youth and Wanita wings.

This prompted Vell Paari, who has called on Palanivel to resign, to say that any change in the structure would need approval by a two-thirds majority at an EGM.

Vell Paari, who is an adviser to both Putera and MIC Youth, revived the controversial issue of the party elections in November last year where, he alleged, Putera and Puteri members were denied their right to vote.

Complaints filed by MIC members allied with the faction led by Vell Paari and former Youth chief T Mohan led to the Registrar of Societies ordering fresh elections for three vice-presidents and 23 members of the central working committee.

On Friday, chaos ensured at MIC headquarters when several hundred members from rival factions scuffled with each other while party leaders were about to conduct a meeting to discuss the Registrar’s order.

Palanivel’s plans for a party revamp were given in an interview with the New Straits Times. He said he intended to restore full elections at MIC branches and proposed to revamp the two youth and women’s wings.

This prompted Vell Paari to point out in a statement to FMT that branch elections were already held for branch chairman, deputy chairman and vice-chairman, with the secretary, treasurer and committee members being appointed by the chairman.

He accused Palanivel of “not being aware of this basic election process of the party”. (However, in the NST interview, Palanivel had hearkened to the days when he himself was elected as a branch secretary.)

Vell Paari also revisited the subject of last year’s elections, which he claimed were the subject of vote tampering. He said Putera and Puteri members were denied their democratic right to vote, without any EGM being held to approve a change in procedure. He called it a clear violation of the party constitution and “not only immoral but I feel it should be defined as a criminal offence”.