S.A.VigneswaranChairman, Malaysian Indian Youth Development Foundation (MIYDF)

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC Youth chief S. Vigneswaran, who has been asked to vacate his post, said the party’s constitution did not say that a youth leader must give up his position on reaching the age of 41.

He said Act 20.2 4A and 4B only stated that one could contest for the post of youth chief up to the age of 41.

“Moreover, Article 47 states that all elected leaders shall stay in office for three years. Nowhere in the constitution does it say that a youth leader must leave when he reaches his 41st birthday,” he said.

On Friday, MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam was quoted as saying that the party’s constitution clearly stated that a youth leader or a member in the youth wing should not exceed the age of 40.

“This means that when they reach their 41st birthday, they need to vacate their positions in the youth wing,” Dr Subramaniam, who is Human Resources Minister, had said.

However, a central working committee (CWC) member had commented that although the constitution was unclear on the age ruling, it had been decided at a CWC meeting in 2001 that everyone in the youth wing should vacate their posts on reaching 41.

Some members believed that the move to ask Vigneswaran to vacate his post was politically motivated. They claimed it was initiated by party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu to “kill off” Vigneswaran.

Vigneswaran, who used to be Samy Vellu’s blue-eyed boy, was said to have fallen out of favour with the president. A source said the rift between the two could have started over the selection of the candidate for the Ijok by-election last year.

Others said Vigneswaran was aligned to deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel and was unhappy over former deputy Datuk S. Subramaniam making a comeback.

It is said that Vigneswaran had hoped that Palanivel would become the next party president and he would be the deputy. With Subramaniam back in mainstream politics, his hopes had been dashed.

Sources claimed that Vigneswaran was upset as there was no clear plan of succession and there had been confusion among members following the return of Subramaniam.

He was also said to have instigated “Jumbo” Maniam and Alex Thiagarasan to question Samy Vellu.

Vigneswaran said the rumour could have started because he was against the expulsion of “Jumbo” Maniam. “Jumbo” and Alex, whom he had recruited into MIC from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) years ago, are also friends.

Denying all the accusations hurled at him, Vigneswaran said he had always been a party loyalist.

He also denied being involved with a rumoured Makkal Sakthi-linked rally aimed at pressuring Samy Vellu to step down.

Vigneswaran said if he was going against Samy Vellu, he did not need the support of Makkal Sakthi.

“I have my own force but I am not willing to do it because I am loyal to the party,” he said, adding that his suspicion was that someone from within MIC was trying get him into trouble.

By : Suganthi Suparmaniam and R. S. Kamini. Source : NST