DAP members joining MIC a ‘lie’

A local MIC leader claims only a handful of the 807 are former DAP members. The rest, he adds, are new recruits.

GEORGE TOWN: The claim that 807 DAP members had quit the opposition party to join MIC was a lie, alleged a local MIC leader.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the MIC leader claimed that only a handful of those who submitted their membership forms to party president G Palanivel were DAP members.

According to him, most of them were new recruits.

“We can count with our fingers the number of DAP members who joined MIC that day. Everyone knows it was a farce to show that MIC has regained confidence among the local Indians,” said the division leader.

The revelation, if true, would be a slap in the face for MIC leaders, who organised a major dinner to welcome the new members.

In his speech at the event, state MIC chief, Senator PK Subbaiyah, had claimed that they were all from DAP.

Palanivel, on the other hand, claimed that the departure of DAP Indian members to join MIC showed that Indians had lost confidence in the Pakatan Rakyat state government.

MIC also claimed that the exodus showed that Penang Indians had lost faith in the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy and other Pakatan Indian representatives. Ramasamy is the Prai assemblyman and Batu Kawan MP.

Under the Barisan Nasional electoral arrangement, MIC would get to contest the Prai and Bagan Dalam state seats. DAP’s A Tanasekharan was the current Bagan Dalam incumbent.

MIC was said to have shortlisted Penang MIC deputy chairman L Krishnan and Batu Kawan division chief R Muthiah for Prai, and secretary M Karuppan and youth wing chief J Dhinagaran for Bagan Dalam.

Political agendas

Another reliable MIC source said Sunday’s grand event was organised merely to show that MIC was back as a political force to reckon with in Penang after the electoral drubbing in the last general election.

However, insiders claimed that the fanfare also reflected the political agendas of certain MIC leaders.

The entry of new members, which would pave the way for the formation of at least 13 new branches, would be a major boost for Palanivel, who expects to face a strong challenge in the party presidential election next year.

It was learnt that Subbaiyah also wanted to form more branches across the state to give him more options to challenge certain division leaders in the state.

Insiders also claimed that the division chairmen of Tanjung, Jelutong, Bukit Gelugor and Balik Pulau, Batu Kawan, Nibong Tebal and Bagan were at loggerheads with Subbaiyah, the Permatang Pauh division chairman.

It was said that Subbaiyah could be planning to bring in new leaders to oust the current crop of division leaders whom he cannot see eye-to-eye with.

However, Subbaiyah might not find everything going his way because some division leaders were also plotting to replace him as state chief.

Insiders said the leaders might threaten the top leadership that they would leave the party with their supporters if Subbaiyhah was not removed.