Police reports lodged against Murugiah
(Bernama) – The Selangor People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has lodged a police report against Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s department T. Murugiah for allegedly conducting an illegal extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in Putrajaya yesterday.
PPP vice-president Datuk Maglin D’Cruz, who was at the head of 12 Selangor PPP supreme council and executive council members, filed the report at the Shah Alam district police headquarters today.
Speaking to reporters after lodging the report, D’Cruz claimed that the meeting was null and void as Murugiah had failed to inform the party’s secretary-general before calling for the EGM.
“The so-called delegates, who ‘elected’ Murugiah as the new PPP president, included those who had been suspended and expelled from the party.
“Furthermore, Murugiah’s own party branch had been de-registered by Registrar of Societies. How could someone become PPP president if he doesn’t have any branch?” asked D’Cruz.
Some 1,760 delegates from 778 PPP branches “elected” Murugiah as the “new PPP president” in the EGM in Putrajaya, plunging the party deeper into crisis.
D’Cruz also asked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to take action against Murugiah for misusing the Prime Minister’s Department premises, purportedly for a “meet-the-people” event.
Similar police reports were also made in other states by PPP. In Johor Baharu, Johor PPP Youth chief Jamaludin Ghulamhan, who lodged a report at Johor Baharu Selatan police station, said Murugiah had misled the people into thinking that they were called for a briefing on an entrepreneurial programme. Instead, it was a ploy to install him as “PPP president”.
“How could delegates from 13 divisions in Johor attend the EGM when 19 of 24 divisions attended the Johor PPP convention here yesterday?” he asked, adding that about 900 party members attended the convention.
In Ipoh, Perak PPP chairman Datuk Lee Heng has urged Murugiah to resign as deputy minister as he was appointed to the post on the party’s ticket. Lee said Murugiah had misused his position to apply for a permit to conduct a seminar in Putrajaya, but instead turned it into political event.
“He had defied the party by calling for the EGM,” he added.
PPP supreme council member Dr Naran Singh said Murugiah had until Saturday to appeal against the PPP Disciplinary Board’s decision to sack him, as the supreme council had yet to endorse it.
In Seremban, Negeri Sembilan PPP chairman Sahul Hameed Shaikh Mohaideen has asked Najib to resolve the crisis as it has put not only PPP in disrepute but also Barisan Nasional (BN).
