MIC division polls marred by allegations of manipulation

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Oct 12, 2013

(fz.com) – With just two weeks to elect MIC delegates for the national congress in November, the party is hit by a slew of allegations of manipulation and the emergence of phantom branches.

According to sources, it is an age-old trick to get enough delegates to support the “president’s men” in the party elections.

“This has happened since the time of (former president Datuk Seri S) Samy Vellu.

“Branches suddenly sprout up like mushrooms to dilute the voices of dissent in the party and ensure only those aligned to certain individuals can go for the national congress and vote in the exco,” said a party insider.

Documents made available to fz.com revealed, among others, 52 branch members selected to vote for delegates, when original branch receipts only indicate 47.

Kulai’s Taman Muhibbah branch chairman G Munian in a letter to secretary-general A Sakhtivel said he paid membership fees for 47 members. The number of receipts is indicative of the number of members eligible to vote for delegates.

“However, at the elections, there were 52 people. Where did they come from?” he asked in his letter.

He also questioned if the increased members in certain branches are genuine or part of a larger plan for the MIC national congress election.

Munian also asked that if his allegations are true, would MIC postpone the Kulai branch election to give way for investigations.

However, when contacted by fz.com, Munian refused to comment on his allegations.

“What benefit it is to me if I talk to you,” was his reply to our queries.

There were also instances where a member who was declared bankrupt since 2010 contested as the Kota Raja division chairman in 2013 and won.

According to a source, the bankruptcy of Kota Raja division chairman A Chandran came to light only on the eve of the election.

The returning officer (RO) of the division election, Datuk M Saravanan, was informed of the issue as it was felt that this was a strong case against Chandran but the election went on as planned.

“The RO was there to conduct the election, he doesn’t have the authority to call off the election or to postpone it,” said the source, adding that the party headquarters is investigating the matter.