Palani under fire again over new appointments - FMT

The MIC president is taken to task for naming state deputies without consulting the chairmen.

PETALING JAYA: MIC president G Palanivel has come under fire again, this time for appointing deputy chairmen for the party’s state offices without consulting the chairmen.

A state chairman told FMT this had caused further division in the party.

“Quite a number of state chairmen are unhappy with the president’s move to name state deputies without prior consultation,” he said.

“Even a phone call to state chairmen informing them of the appointments would have been sufficient.

“Those appointed deputy state chiefs are his people. Obviously he wants to check on the state chairmen.

“We know it is his right to appoint state deputy chairmen but he should consult leaders in the state.”

Palanivel announced the appointment of 13 state deputy chairmen yesterday in a statement to an online newspaper.

He also announced the names of new coordinators for MIC’s Putera and Puteri movements. The new Putera chief is K Ravenkumar and his Puteri counterpart in J Gunamalar.

The unhappiness over the appointment of deputy state chiefs is reminiscent of remarks made last week by MIC Youth chief C Sivarraajh following Palanivel’s appointment of state youth leaders.

“I am not satisfied with the overall appointments,” Sivarraajh said on Jan 28.“Most of the names put forth by the youth wing seems to have been rejected by the president. He has taken the liberty to make his own appointments.”

Prerogative

Sivarraajh acknowledged that it was Palanivel’s prerogative to appoint the new leaders, but said he should have chosen people who could work well with officials of the parent MIC Youth movement.

The state chairman who spoke to FMT also criticised Palanivel for making yesterday’s announcement through an online portal.

“Has he lost trust in the mainstream media?,” he said.

“He can easily use mainstream media like Bernama and the Tamil papers. Why is he using this news portal to announce appointments? The news portal is not MIC owned.

“Why doesn’t the president call for a press conference in announcing the appointments? Is he scared to answer questions from the media?

“We know Palanivel is media shy despite being a former journalist. But by making announcements through a news portal that is not even popular, he has stooped to a new low.”

He said Palanivel had been avoiding not only the mainstream media but also the Tamil vernacular dailies.

“He used to have a say in a particular Tamil newspaper, but that particular newspaper has been bought over by someone else.

“So now he has lost his voice in the Tamil media. That is why he is using this news portal.

“Palanivel must by now realise that he is making all the wrong moves.

“Maybe it is about time he moved out as party president as he does not have control over the party.”

Crisis brewing in Penang MIC

Meanwhile in Penang, majority MIC divisions in the state are not happy with the appointments of M Shanker as state party Youth chief and R Prema as the Wanita head, reports Athi Shankar.

Sources said Palanivel had appointed both the leaders and this had not gone down well with party diehards in the island state.

Representatives from nine out of the 13 divisions in the state held a secret meeting last Saturday to deliberate on an action plan to force the president to change both the youth and women leaders.

They want the state MIC leadership under M Karuppanan to meet the president and convey their message immediately.

“The divisions may even plot to oust Karuppanan if he fails them,” said sources.

The divisions felt both Shankar, who is the Bukit Mertajam division youth chief, and Prema, were politically inexperienced and incapable of spearheading and transforming their respective wings as vibrant movements.

Sources also revealed that the divisions had proposed Tasek Gelugor division youth head A Murugan to head the state youth movement but this was never fulfilled by Palanivel.

The divisions are also against Prema’s appointment, which they claim was an “express political promotion.”

Prema became the Jelutong MIC division women leader only last October and barely after three months she heads the state wanita wing.

“From nowhere, Prema is now state women head by-passing so many others.

“This is undemocratic,” said the sources.

A prominent division leader recalled that former MIC president S Samy Velu, even though a tough character, would listen and act on grassroots views and sentiments.

“But Palanivel political style is even worse than his predecessor. He simply bulldozes his way without giving any explanation,” said the leader.