IPOH, Feb 13 (Bernama) -- The MIC Sungai Siput division today expressed
support for party president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel or any candidate of his
choice to be fielded in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat in Perak in the next
general election.
Its chairman, R. Ganesan, said the party would work hard for the Barisan
Nasional (BN) to recapture the seat. The MP now is Dr D. Jeyakumar of PKR who
beat incumbent Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, the former MIC president, in the 2008
general election.
"We welcome Datuk Seri (Palanivel) to contest the Sungai Siput parliamentary
seat in the 13th general election. This is a historic seat for the MIC. Our
priority is for the president (to contest). If he selects someone else, we will
accept the decision and work hard to ensure the candidate''s victory," he told
reporters here.
Ganesan said the agreement for Palanivel to contest in Sungai Siput was not
only a unanimous decision of the MIC but had the agreement of Umno, MCA, Gerakan
and PPP as well as the support of IPF and Makkal Sakthi.
He hit out at a statement issued by former Sungai Siput MIC Youth head K.
Manimaran in a Tamil newspaper today that the seat should be handed over to
Umno.
-- MORE
MIC-PALANIVEL 2 (LAST) IPOH
Umno had not asked for the seat, and neither has any other BN component
party, he said, adding that such a statement can undermine harmony within the
BN.
Palanivel recently took over the post of Perak MIC chairman from Datuk S.
Veerasingam, which is seen as a positive move to bolster the MIC''s position in
facing the next general election.
He also said that as at September last year, Sungai Siput had 11,066 Indian
voters and MIC now had 7,500 members in the area.
Ganesan said the MIC Sungai Siput division had applied to open 23 new
branches, and added that this indicated the growing Indian support for the party
and the BN.
-- BERNAMA
ZAZ ZAZ MGN
2 comments