Looming exodus? Another MIC leader quits

Barely three days after Senator C Sivarraajh quit MIC, another young leader tendered his resignation.

Selangor MIC Youth chief P Punithan handed his letter to party president SA Vigneswaran today, notifying that apart from his state-level post, he was also quitting as the Bandar Baru Batang Berjuntai (Kuala Selangor) branch youth chief with immediate effect.

“After serving and holding various positions in MIC for the last 15 years, today I have made the difficult decision to quit the party.

“I would like to thank MIC leaders at all levels who have helped me throughout my stint. I believe I have provided my best over the years,” Punithan (above) said in a statement today.

When contacted, Punithan confirmed the resignation but said his quitting has nothing to do with Sivarraajh’s exit from the party.

“This is my personal decision. I hope MIC will continue to be the ‘Indian voice’ in the coalition government,” he said.

Among others, Punithan had served as a MIC central working committee (CWC) member, as well as MIC Youth secretary and MIC information chief.

To join PN

When contacted, Vigneswaran confirmed receiving Punithan’s letter and said he last met the latter two days ago.

“We discussed in length about his politics and his (Punithan’s) future.

“In the meeting, he told me that he wants to quit MIC to continue his political career with PN (Perikatan Nasional),” Vigneswaran told Malaysiakini.

“I accept his decision and wish him all the best in his career with PN.”

On Tuesday, Sivarraajh quit the party, citing “obstacles and restrictions” from the party leadership.

The former MIC vice-president said that he foresaw a split in the party if the current situation continued, and therefore, quit to avoid such a scenario.

Earlier this month, Sivarraajh was sacked from the party’s CWC.

A source told Malaysiakini that the removal was over the leader’s failure to attend the “Madani Government: Educational Development and Future of Indians” programme held in Shah Alam on June 10.

The programme was organised by MIC’s Education Bureau in collaboration with the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit and was attended by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

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