MIC not dead in Sabah, just in hibernation, says deputy president

Human Resources Minister M Saravanan (third from left) presenting a certificate of appreciation to a trainer under the HRDF Penjana Initiative in Kota Kinabalu today.

KOTA KINABALU: MIC deputy president M Saravanan has denied that the state chapter has been dissolved, saying only the Registrar of Societies (ROS), can dissolve a party.

Saravanan, who is also human resources minister, said the party still existed in the state and that MIC headquarters had appointed “someone else” to run the chapter now.

Saravanan was asked by reporters on plans to revive the state chapter after previous chairman V Jothi told the media in January last year that state MIC members were leaving to form a new party.

Jothi was quoted in the media as saying the decision to form the Sabah United Indian Party was made after the dissolution of Sabah MIC in July 2018, some two months after the 14th general election.

“That is a very wrong thing for an individual to do – if he’s not interested, he should have resigned and it was a wrong announcement for him to make (that it was dissolved),” Sarvanan told reporters here today.

“Nobody has the right to dissolve the party, only the ROS can do so and not an individual.

“Today I’m MIC deputy president and if I don’t like it you think I can dissolve the party? I should resign and walk out.”

When contacted by FMT, Jothi clarified that he was misquoted by the press then, pointing out that he only mentioned that he had resigned as chairman but had not said the state chapter was dissolved.

“I’ve got no right to say the chapter is dissolved, only the party headquarters can do that. All the branches were defunct after we left as no one was running it but the party can always revive it if they want to,” he said.

Meanwhile, Saravanan said more than 1,600 Sabah residents had gained opportunities for training aimed at generating income through the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) Penjana Initiative since it was launched on June 22.

“Presently, we have appointed 30 training providers to give upskilling and reskilling training for those affected (by the Covid-19 pandemic) in Sabah.

“At the event today, 20 people received work offer letters from 11 employers,” he said.

They will be trained under the HRDF Penjana Initiative before going to work for their respective employers.

To a question, Saravanan denied that the event was a political gimmick held to coincide with the ongoing state election campaign.

“In fact our programme started long before the political landscape changed in Sabah and this will be an ongoing programme.

“We are sincere about what we’re doing. That’s the reason why we didn’t invite any politician to our programme and we don’t carry any party banners or political speeches. It’s purely about the HRDF agenda,” he said. - FMT