2œ theSun | MONDAY SEPTEMBER 14 2009

news without borders

by Meena L. Ramadas
Party limits presidents
to three terms
KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC has imposed a three-term
limit for the position of president starting this year.
It also imposed the same three-term tenure for
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KUALA LUMPUR: MIC members

all division chairmen but they would be eligible to re-
contest after a lapse of one term. Each term is three
years.
These were among some of the amendments to
the party constitution passed by the party at its 63rd
general assembly at Putra World Trade Centre.
The amendments received the thumbs-up from
some 1,500 delegates and were duly passed.
Previously, there were no provisions that limit the
tenure of a person to hold the party’s top post, held
by Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu since 1981.
The party also amended the provision pertaining to
the number of delegates a branch could have based
on the number of members. Previously, a branch was
entitled to have a delegate for every 100 members
but now the proportion is amended to one delegate
per 60 members.
The party also lowered the number of members
required before a branch can be set up, from 100
previously to 60. – Bernama
yesterday accused the Barisan Na-
sional of working against their party
and splitting the unity of the Indian
community.
MIC members
take BN to task
During the debate at the 63rd MIC
general assembly, the delegates also
criticised former Barisan Nasional
chairman and premier Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad.
They went into the offensive follow-
ing Mahathir’s remarks over the week-
end questioning MIC president Datuk schools and the growing and high em- behind in terms of progress.
Seri S. Samy Vellu’s efforts to lead the ployment of the community. “Plantation workers are being treated
community forward. “According to Mahathir, our president like slaves.
Mahathir had questioned Samy didn’t do much for the community. “They still live on meagre wages,
Vellu’s contribution towards the com- “But, for 22 years, what did he some families with only RM300 to sur-
munity. (Mahathir) do?” MIC Ampang delegate vive monthly,” a delegate said.
The division leaders were also not M. Muniandy said. Most delegates want 10% of any
apprehensive to voice their opinions Samy Vellu interjected and said: governmental opportunity and service
concerning the government’s lack “Don’t talk about him. Whatever it is, he from all sectors – be it education, loans,
of commitment to build more Tamil was a great leader who brought about the civil service, government-linked compa-
schools, high unemployment rate among nation’s progress.” nies – to be allocated to Indians.
Indian youths and more. According to the majority of the del- They also want the 10% quota to
They also lamented on the govern- egates, even after 52 years of independ- be institutionalised in a governmental
ment’s “measly” allocations for Tamil ence, the Indian community is still far policy.

Subramaniam to face
disciplinary board
KUALA LUMPUR: Former MIC deputy
president Datuk S. Subramaniam will
be referred to the disciplinary board
on a charge of bringing supporters
to disrupt the party’s 63rd general
assembly on Saturday, MIC president
Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said.
“The group, comprising about 500
people, tried to create chaos. We are
gathering information on this,” Samy
Vellu told reporters on the sidelines
of the second and final day of the
general assembly yesterday.
“I know who these groups are
and so do the authorities. Disciplinary
action will be taken against him. I’ve
never seen incidents like this. I see it as
an attempt to scare the delegates.”
The latest development casts
doubts on Subramaniam’s future in
the party after losing the contest for
the deputy presidency.
This is the second time the party
was referring Subramaniam to the
disciplinary board.
Last week, the MIC central work-
ing committee unanimously agreed
to refer Subramaniam to the board
for issuing statements deemed to be
tarnishing the party’s image.
Samy Vellu said the board would
decide on the type of action against
Subramaniam.
Asked on claims by Subrama-
niam that his defeat was due to
money politics, Samy Vellu said he
too could prove that Subramaniam
had used money to gain support.
Meanwhile, Samy Vellu said the
MIC, as the biggest Indian-based
party in the country, would take
concrete steps to regain the support
of the Indian community.
He said that the party, which
has 630,000 members, would also
continue with the efforts to restore
the community’s support towards
the Barisan Nasional.
“We have started the process since
the last general election. Through the
various steps taken by the MIC, the
Indians are returning to the BN. This
process will continue,” he said when
closing the general assembly.
He said the party would also
focus on the younger generations,
and this could be seen through the
victories of many young leaders in
the party elections.
“For a start, we will begin the
online registration of new members
through the MIC portal to attract the
younger generations and profes-
sionals to join the party.
“The party will also open up
more branches headed by young
people. We have identified at least
2,000 graduates for this purpose.”
Women would also be involved
in the process by giving them more
challenging roles such as heading
party branches, he said. – Bernama

No official BN list yet for

Bagan Pinang by-election
SHAH ALAM: Umno deputy presi-
dent Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said
yesterday the party has not received
any official list yet on the possible
candidate for the Bagan Pinang state
by-election in Negri Sembilan.
“They have not sent the list of-
ficially ... I only read about it in the
newspapers,” he told reporters.
Muhyiddin, who had visited
the Federal Agriculture Marketing
Authority’s (Fama) Pasar Tani here
earlier, said any decision on the BN’s
candidate would only be announced
after the Election Commission (EC)
had fixed the dates for the nomina-
tion and polling.
He called on all parties not to
speculate too much into the matter.
It was reported that all 33 Teluk
Kemang Umno division committee
members had unanimously proposed
the division’s chief, former Negri Sem-
bilan mentri besar Tan Sri Mohd Isa
Abdul Samad, as the BN candidate.
The seat fell vacant following
the death of assemblyman Azman
Mohammad Noor of BN on Sept 4.
The EC meets today to fix the
dates for the nomination and polling.
In Jelebu, Information Communi-
cation and Culture Minister Datuk Seri
Dr Rais Yatim expressed confidence
over BN’s chances in the by-election.
He said BN had been implement-
ing development programmes and
its leaders had done a lot of good
deeds for the people there.
“We should be able to counter
any criticism and bring the people’s
attention to see things in a positive
manner,” he told reporters after at-
tending the breaking of fast at the
Sungai Pertang mosque on Saturday.
Rais said the development
brought by BN and Umno in the area
resulted in the coalition winning the
seat in the last general election.
He said the voters remained BN
supporters, even more so now with
the BN government’s 1Malaysia
concept mooted by Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
“The people will again support
the BN so that it can continue to
represent them.” – Bernama