MIC Elections 2009: Disciplinary Action Against Me Is A Ploy, Says Subramaniam

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Former MIC deputy president Datuk S.Subramaniam said he is not afraid to face any action taken by the party's Disciplinary Committee and will come forward to give an explanation if given the chance.

He said the disciplinary action against him was baseless and aimed at bringing him down at the party election.

Yesterday, the MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) decided to refer the former deputy president to the Disciplinary Committee.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the disciplinary action against Subramaniam and the legal action against a former vice-president Datuk V.Govindaraj would be taken for making a media statement that he (Samy Vellu) defeated Subramaniam during the election for the MIC deputy president's post in 1977 by using dirty tactic.

"I don't know the nature of the accusation against me because I only knew about it yesterday after the CWC meeting, and from the Tamil newspaper this morning," Subramaniam told reporters at a press conference at the Royal Selangor Club, Wednesday afternoon.

He also described the action taken by the MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) to refer him to the party's disciplinary committee as a ploy by certain groups to topple him.

He also described the move as an attempt by interested parties to scare the delegates so that they would not vote for him in the party election on Saturday.

Subramaniam is challenging incumbent Datuk G. Palanivel for the post of deputy president in the party election. Another candidate for the post is Datuk S.Sothinathan.

Meanwhile, a group from the Indian community on Wednesday expressed its open support for Subramaniam.

A representative of the group, Datuk Vyran T.Raj claimed that so far 765 delegates to the party election had stated their support for Subramaniam.

The group called on Samy Vellu to resign from the post of MIC president before Sept 30.

"We feel there is a need to change the MIC leadership by replacing the leader. It's true that he (Samy Vellu) had contributed much (to the community), but time has changed," he told a news conference here.

In the presidential election in March, Samy Vellu retained his post when he won uncontested and created a record for holding the post for 11 terms consecutively.