MIC president to go on tour to meet grassroots members

MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel plans to go on a nationwide tour beginning Sunday to meet the party's branch chairmen to shed light on the party's problem, party vice-president Datuk S. Balakrishnan said Saturday.

He said Palanivel would be accompanied by party deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam and the three vice-presidents - Datuk S. Sothinathan, Datuk M. Saravanan and himself.

Balakrishnan said the tour was scheduled to begin in Johor.

"The president decided to meet all branch chairmen to give a briefing on what is really going on. Palanivel is not going to the ground to attack anyone. No youth, women's (wings) and hooligans. We will only call branch chairmen.

"He (Palanivel) is going to get feedback from the ground and grassroots," he told a press conference here.

Balakrishnan said the tour would not be contrary to the moratorium ordered by the Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"The president is only going to meet the chairmen and give them a clearer picture of what is happening. As an elected president, he has the right to meet the party members at any time (he wants)," said Balakrishnan, who is also Johor MIC chairman.

Differences of opinion had emerged in the MIC following an order on Dec 5 last year from the Registrar of Societies (RoS) for the party to hold fresh elections for the three posts of vice-president and 23 posts in the Central Working Committee (CWC) within 90 days due to irregularities in the elections held at the party general assembly in Melaka on Nov 30, 2013.

On Friday Najib said he and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would find the best formula to resolve the crisis plaguing the MIC, a BN component party.