The Malaysian Insider

By Baradan Kuppusamy

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 — At least seven candidates allied with former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam who contested in the Sept 12 MIC elections alleged widespread and rampant irregularities today.

They are now demanding the MIC election commission nullify the polls and hold fresh elections.

Irregularities cited include party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu’s role in fielding his own team, supporting and campaigning for them and using his office and party facilities to ensure his team won.

The candidates, gathered under a MIC election irregularities committee, also alleged that rampant irregularities took place during balloting and counting of the votes.

“The mood on the floor for change and the outcome of the polls are totally different… it does not tally,” said Saraswathy Kandasamy, lawyer for the committee, at a press conference today.

The complainants include vice-presidential candidate P. Subramaniam and six candidates for the central working committee. But ironically S. Subramaniam, who was defeated in a three-cornered fight for the deputy president’s post, is not a party to the demand to have fresh elections.

It is learnt that the seven candidates are acting on their own and without the green light from S. Subramaniam, who had fielded a team against Samy Vellu’s official line-up which won nearly all the posts.

In an immediate reaction, MIC election commission chairman Datuk K. Vijayanathan told The Malaysian Insider that the commission cannot entertain any request to nullify the elections or hold fresh elections.

He gave three reasons: the commission has no locus standi because the elections are over and the commission has “stood down”; the time frame to lodge complaints is within one week of the elections and not now and thirdly that all complaints should be addressed to the CWC.

The CWC meets on Tuesday and on its agenda is to accept and approve the election results, pass a vote of confidence in Samy Vellu and to consider whether S. Subramaniam be subjected to disciplinary action for alleged tarnishing the party image.

Subramaniam, 65, who lost narrowly by 82 votes, is under severe pressure from his supporters to make one of three choices — quit MIC, form a new party or join the Pakatan Rakyat.

Among the allegations made today was on the use of mobile phones.

P. Subramaniam, the V-P candidate and chairman of the irregularities committee, alleged that supporters of Samy Vellu were ordered to take a picture of their ballot papers with the markings in favour of his official line-up as proof that they had voted for the president.

The complainants alleged that the delegates were promised “remuneration” after showing the photo as proof of their voting preferences.

Subramaniam said the commission had barred delegates from carrying mobile phones when voting but Samy Vellu had intervened to allow them on condition the devices were switched off.

“Who is to know the phones are off or on,” said Subramaniam.

It is likely that the MIC will ignore these allegations and this could lead to a court battle over the election results.

“We would have fared better… maybe not a clean sweep but definitely better than the sham results we saw,” said Saraswathy.

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