'Not MIC's policy to place locals as candidates in GE14'

He said this was because the policy was not seen as practical for all constituencies as only a small number of local leaders were qualified to be candidates.

"That is not MIC's policy, maybe it could be done in some places, but not all, we can’t put locals as candidates, however it is up to the leaders to choose.

"To MIC, the policy is not practical as we have to look at their capabilities, if there are capable leaders, then we can do it, but if there are other leaders who are better qualified, then we will choose whoever is suitable," he told reporters after attending the 70th MIC Anniversary Celebrations held at the Convention Hall here Monday.

Meanwhile, he said, the party was making efforts to strengthen their position on the Perak political stage to win all the seats which it would be contesting in the GE14.

He said the party had identified two key elements to gain the confidence of the Indian community.

"We have identified two focus of development to bring the Indian community forward - the first is educational excellence and second, economic progression.

"We will focus on how to optimise these two pillars through the various programmes which will be conducted by the MIC and the government. These two things are needed to solve all the problems faced by the community," he said.

Subramaniam also reminded leaders at the grassroots level to ensure their plans of action were carried out smoothly.

This included registration of voters, ensuring all MIC members were voters and ensure they supported the Barisan Nasional (BN).