Its president, Datuk M. Kayveas, said the majority of the party's 25 supreme council members at its meeting today had expressed dissatisfaction with Murugiah's action for frequently being absent from party meetings and whose decisions sometimes put the party in a bad light.
"Although the majority of the supreme council members want him to be expelled, but I feel that (such action) can still be avoided as I don't want to be labelled as taking advantage of the situation for my own personal political interests," he added.
Kayveas said he would wait until the party's annual general meeting in June.
"If we want to expel, we can do so because there is enough evidence. He (Murugiah) claimed that I wanted to expel him so that I would stand a chance of becoming a minister. That is not true," he told a press conference after the PPP supreme council meeting here today.
On a statement by Murugiah that he would not contest for the president's post in the party elections in June since he was still young and not ready for it yet, Kayveas said it was just an act.
Kayveas also said that Murugiah was not eligible to contest as the registration of his branch, N.12 Silibin Drive, Perak, had been revoked.
"The registration of the branch was revoked since three years ago (21.8.2006) and that he knew about it yesterday afternoon, following which he issued the statement not to contest the president's post.
"He knows he cannot contest but because he wants to be popular says he is not challenging me out of respect," he added.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Public Service Association president P. Gunaseelan, in a statement today, urged Kayveas and Murugiah to resolve their misunderstandings and to work for the betterment of the society and nation.
-- BERNAMA
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NST
2009/05/10
Kayveas: PPP exco to sack Murugiah
By : R. SittamparamKUALA LUMPUR: The People's Progressive Party (PPP) executive council has taken a decision to sack Datuk T. Murugiah, its sole government representative.
Party president Datuk M. Kayveas said Murugiah's sacking would be announced after the AGM which is expected to be opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
"I've advised the executive council members to delay the sacking so that we will not be accused of denying Murugiah a chance to contest in the party elections," Kayveas said after chairing the executive council meeting here yesterday.
"We are giving him a chance to contest for the presidency or any other position."
Kayveas said "90 per cent of the members" had called for Murugiah's sacking because of mounting complaints against him from within and outside the party.
"This includes involvement in money politics, failing to represent the party or cooperating with the leaders and using his position for self promotion."
Kayveas said party members would lodge reports with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission next week against Murugiah for money politics.
"We have suspended one of Murugiah's aides for negotiating money transactions among division and branch leaders, while a division chairman was suspended for receiving a RM74,000 allocation from Murugiah."
On Murugiah's statement on Friday that he had no intention to contest the presidency, Kayveas said: "I believe his change of mind was because he found out that his branch in Perak had been de-registered by the Registrar of Societies in 2006.
"If he does not get his branch re-registered, he cannot become a delegate to the AGM or contest any post."
Earlier, Murugiah had expressed intention to contest against Kayveas.
Kayveas said if Murugiah settled his branch problem and secured the minimum 10 branch nominations, he was welcome to contest the post.
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The Star, May 10 2009
Murugiah to clarify allegations to PM (Update3)
By SARBAN SINGH and ROYCE CHEAH
SEREMBAN: PPP supreme council member Datuk T Murugiah refused Sunday to comment on a decision by the party to call for his sacking, saying that he would meet Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Tuesday to relate his side of the story.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported from Pekan that Najib said he would have to look into the matter first.
"I only know about it from newspaper reports," Najib said. Asked about Murugiah's position in the government, Najib said, he would think about it.
Murugiah, a Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department said he was shocked to read about his imminent sacking in Sunday's newspapers for allegedly being involved in money politics.
"I am only reading it in the newspapers about the president (Datuk M Kayveas) and supreme council allegedly being unhappy with me...I have not offended anyone but yet they have decided to remove me.
"I hope to see the Prime Minister on Tuesday...God is great and the truth will prevail," he said when met at the sidelines of a seminar organised for Indian youths here.
Murugiah reiterated that he was not involved in vote-buying or aspiring to contest the presidency in party polls due next month.
Asked why he had not attended Saturday's supreme council meeting, Murugiah said he had had another engagement.
An aide said Murugiah was in Teluk Intan attending the Chitrapournami festival, one of the main festivals celebrated by Hindus here.
"No one from the party notified me of the supreme council's decision. I am not going to say anything more but I will talk when the time is right," he said.
Asked if there was a conspiracy to clip his wings after being named as the most popular local Indian politician by an internet portal, Murugiah refused to comment.
On Saturday, Kayveas said Murugiah's actions were deemed to be detrimental to the party's interest and that a report would be lodged against him with the Malaysian Anti Corruption Agency.
Kayveas alleged that he had strong evidence to back his claims that Murugiah had offered money and contracts to party leaders to bag votes.
Citing an example, he alleged that Murugiah had given RM74,000 to a division chairman for his support.
The said division chief K.Tanggaraju, who was also present at the seminar here, denied this, adding that he would lodge a police report Sunday.
"I was suspended by the supreme council on Saturday for allegedly receiving the cash from Murugiah.
“I want to know why I have been dragged into this and accused of being corrupt," said Tanggaraju who has been Selayang division chief for the past 13 years.
He said it was strange that several of Murugiah's aides, including those working for him at the Prime Minister's office, were being suspended from the party.
Tanggaraju also claimed that many branches in Selangor faced the risk of being deregistered as details of their annual general meetings (AGM) were not forwarded to the Registrar of Societies (ROS).
"I was shocked when the ROS told me that they had no records of the branchs’ AGMs. This is not healthy for the party," he said.
Tanggaraju also expressed unhappiness with the supreme council's decision not to refer him to the party's disciplinary board or to hear his side of the story before deciding to suspend him.
On a separate matter, Murugiah said he hoped to help more Indian youths to venture into business.
"We hope to do this through the Malaysian Indian New Economic Wave, a body which would register and assist those who aspire to venture into business and other ventures," he said adding that some 230,000 youths have registered with the body, which would also set up a cooperative to provide them with financial aid.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Sunday that PPP would be left to handle the Murugiah matter while Barisan Nasional would hope for the best.
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