Dragging MIC to court can be death knell for party - Subramaniam

MIC deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said today he feared that dragging MIC to court could be the death knell for the party.

"A court case will take years to be settled and, during that time, the MIC may cease to exist," he told reporters when asked to comment on the crisis in the party.

MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) member A. K. Ramalingam has applied for a judicial review to get the Registrar of Societies (RoS) and its director-general, Mohammad Razin Abdullah, to retract the directives sent to the party.

The MIC crisis erupted due to differences of opinion after the RoS nullified the November 2013 elections for the three posts of vice-president and 23 CWC posts following complaints of irregularities.

The RoS, in a letter dated Dec 5, 2014, instructed MIC to hold re-elections for these posts within 90 days, and that the list of the 2009 CWC members be used.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Feb 9 that the RoS, which came under the jurisdiction of his ministry, had agreed that MIC hold re-elections for all posts between April and July this year to avoid being de-registered.

On Feb 14, MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel asked the RoS to withdraw all its instructions to the party, claiming that they went contrary to the Societies Act and party constitution, and threatened to take the RoS to court.

Dr Subramaniam said Ramalingam's application for a judicial review was made in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the party.

"Those who lost in the 2013 elections had complained to the RoS of irregularities and the RoS conducted an investigation. However, Ramalingam won in the elections and had filed for the judicial review due to dissatisfaction," he said.

Dr Subramaniam, who is the health minister, said dragging the party to court would not solve the crisis but would only prolong the waiting period.

"We have to resolve this matter as soon as possible without wasting time so that we can take the party forward for the sake of its own future and that of the Indian community," he said.