Senator T.Murugiah, PPP & the media...
May 17, 2009 19:11 PM
Decision To Sack Him A Cowardly Act, Says Murugiah
BENTONG, May 17 (Bernama) -- Senator Datuk T. Murugiah today described the People's Progressive Party's (PPP) decision to sack him and six other party members as a cowardly act by party president, Datuk M. Kayveas.
For one, Murugiah said the decision made by the party's disciplinary board yesterday had denied the party members the right to decide on the party leadership.
"To me, I'm not expelled and still a PPP (supreme council) member. Yesterday's meeting was illegal. They (disciplinary board members) were not elected by the party, they are Kayveas' cronies.
"If he dares, ask him to call for an election. Don't be a coward. I dare him to face me," he told reporters after opening a seminar on small business, agro-business and franchise, here, today.
He also described his sacking as Kayveas' dictatorial act which had not only tarnished the party's image, but would also cause problems to Barisan Nasional (BN), which should not happen especially in the current political situation faced by BN.
Hence, Murugiah urged BN to temporarily suspend Kayveas from its Supreme Council meeting until the domestic issues in PPP had been resolved.
The two-hour meeting attended by 39 PPP disciplinary board members yesterday made the decision on the ground that Murugiah had used his Deputy Minister's office in the Prime Minister's Department to hold a press conference which tarnished the good name of the party and making defamatory remarks against the party, its Supreme Council and party leadership.
The board also said that Murugiah had threatened the party's lawyer and a supreme council member that he would use all his power to get PPP deregistered.
Murugiah said he would personally go to the Registrar of Society tomorrow to seek verification on the status of the party.
"The party's financial statement had never been tabled at the party's annual general assembly. There must be something wrong," he said.
On the allegation that he was involved in money politics, Murugiah said the allegation was baseless.
He said he was only a Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of the Public Complaints Bureau, Public Service Commission and Education Commission and so did not have the money to give away nor the power to give projects to anyone.
Asked whether he was being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Murugiah said: "They (MACC) did come to my office recently, but only to check on a few documents, nothing else."
Meanwhile, Murugiah also said that he was contacted by an important individual in MIC inviting him to join the party.
"I thank MIC for seeing me as a potential leader," he said, adding that he had not decided on the matter.
-- BERNAMA
By Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 – It appears that the embattled Senator Datuk T. Murugiah’s days in the PPP are not exactly over.
All he has to do is bottle up his pride, put his bruised ego on the backburner and kowtow to the PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas.
“It is not too late…but he must show remorse and not act as if he is the president,” Kayveas told The Malaysian Insider. “The PPP is one big united ship with one acknowledged captain and that’s me.”
“If he is willing to follow the rules and respect the hierarchy, we can show mercy,” Kayveas said adding Murugiah, a former PPP youth leader, had the right of appeal to the Supreme Council and if unsatisfied, to the PPP’s general assembly.
The party’s disciplinary board, in a statement Saturday said Murugiah, a deputy minister, and six of his supporters were sacked for tarnishing the party’s image and for making defamatory remarks against the leadership.
“This is a serious action and requires appropriate punishment,” party leaders said.
Murugiah, who could not be reached for comments, and the six others have two weeks to appeal the decision.
Others sacked were N. Shanmuganathan, M. Jeyaratnam, former Selayang division leader K. Thanggaraju, S. Kanesan, S. Saravanan and R. Rajandran.
Murugiah told the New Straits Times Saturday he would leave “everything” to Najib – another foolhardy move, PPP insiders said, adding that to seek cover under Najib’s wings would only infuriate Kayveas and other Supreme Council members.
“Murugiah has to understand that nearly every Supreme Council member is against him for rushing to Najib for protection,” said a PPP supreme council member.
“He cannot use an outside force in Najib to browbeat the PPP into saving himself. What kind of a relationship would that be? No self respecting party leadership would tolerate such a humiliation,” he said.
Several PPP members had held press conferences urging the Registrar of Societies to deregister the party which was founded by the Seenivasagam brothers – D.R. and S. P. Seenivasagam in Ipoh in 1953.
But the PPP’s fortune plummeted after it joined the Barisan National and by the 1980’s had hit rock bottom because of constant infighting.
It was “saved” by Kayveas who first appeared on the PPP scene as a lawyer for one of the feuding factions.
Kayveas reorganised PPP into a dynamic, multi-racial party with largely a middle-class Malaysian membership but despite the new image, the party had difficulties persuading Umno to give them “safe” seats to contest in the general elections.
The future of the PPP is in question as after the 2008 tsunami there are no longer any “safe” seats even for the Barisan Nasional.
It is in this context that Umno is unhappy with the Kayveas-Murugiah fight which they see as damaging to the Barisan and entirely unnecessary, especially with Murugiah performing above average as a deputy minister.
Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had twice indirectly warned PPP that they should be concerned about “deregistration” if the claims by some PPP members were accurate.
He was hoping to use the danger of “deregistration” as a stick to persuade Kayveas not to sack Murugiah but apparently it has not worked.
Published: Sunday May 17, 2009 MYT 4:57:00 PM
Two expelled PPP members will not appeal
IPOH: Two of the seven PPP members who were expelled by the party's disciplinary board Saturday will not appeal against the decision.
One of them, Brickfields Utara branch leader M. Jeyaratnam, who is also Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk T. Murugiah's special officer, said Sunday he would instead lodge a complaint with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Registrar of Societies for investigation to be conducted into PPP's accounts.
He claimed that PPP's accounts had not been updated since 2002.
"I'll not appeal because the action (expulsion) taken by the party is not valid. If I'm to appeal, it will mean that I accept the decision," he told reporters here.
Jeyaratnam said he would also discuss with his lawyer on further action to be taken to clear his name.
He claimed that the PPP Supreme Council meeting held on May 9 was invalid because it was attended by only seven supreme council members, instead of 20 out of 41 supreme council members required under the party's constitution.
Beside Jeyaratnam, the others expelled from the party are Murugiah, N.Shanmuganathan, K.Tanggaraju, S.Kanesan, S.Saravanan and R.Rajandran.
Shanmuganathan said he would also not appeal on grounds that the decision made by the party was invalid because PPP was no longer a legal party as it had not submitted its annual report since 2002. - Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: People’s Pro gressive Party supreme council member Senator Datuk T. Murugiah and six others have been expelled from the party for allegedly tarnishing its image and trying to get it de-registered. PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas said the deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s department was sacked by the disciplinary board for using his government office to organise a press conference for his personal assistant Dr N. A. Shan muganathan, and for making defamatory remarks against the party and its leadership. “Murugiah used a bankrupt to make the defamatory remarks so that the party would not be able to take any legal action against the bankrupt,” he said during tea break at the party’s supreme council meeting yesterday. Kayveas said that Murugiah also threatened the party lawyer and a supreme council member by saying that he would use all his powers to get PPP de-registered. The others who were expelled were party members M. Jeyaratnam, Shanmuganathan, K. Tanggaraju, S. Kanesan, S. Saravanan and R. Rajandran. “They can appeal to the supreme council in writing, within 14 days from the date of the decision,” said Kayveas. Meanwhile, Selangor PPP members and supporters of Murugiah have lashed out at Kayveas, accusing him of corruption and abusing his powers. Disgruntled state party exco members will call for an emergency meeting next week and table a motion of no-confidence against Kayveas, said Tanggaraju, the PPP Selayang branch chairman, at a press conference at Brickfields yesterday. Earlier yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, when asked if he would intervene in the dispute between Kayveas and Murugiah, said: “I am thinking about it. I have not decided what position to take.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW STRAITS TIMES http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/2558888/Article/index_html KUALA LUMPUR: Embattled PPP former Youth leader and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Senator Datuk T. Murugiah, is now party-less.Sunday May 17, 2009
Murugiah and six others sacked
After a week of political uncertainties, Murugiah and six of his supporters have been given the boot by the party's supreme council which met yesterday.
The party's disciplinary board, in a statement, said Murugiah was sacked for a number of reasons including using his personal assistant, Dr N.A. Shanmuganathan, to tarnish the party's name and making defamatory remarks against the party and its leadership.
It said that although Murugiah was given ample time to patch up, he didn't do so but instead chose to see Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and later held a press conference to ask for his party to be deregistered.
"This action is a serious offence and cannot be excused without facing disciplinary action," it added.
Others sacked were Shanmuganathan, M. Jeyaratnam, former Selayang division leader K. Thanggaraju, S. Kanesan, S. Saravanan and R. Rajandran.
Meanwhile, Murugiah refused to comment but said that he would leave everything to Najib.
"It is not my style to put sand in another person's rice bowl.
"But, I don't want to comment further."
Earlier, several PPP Selangor members wanted the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate the party's accounts.
In a report lodged at the Brickfields police station, they have also accused party president Datuk M. Kayveas of committing criminal breach of trust and wanted him to be investigated over the PPP University Fund set up in 2001.
Thanggaraju, in the report, alleged that Kayveas had never showed any accounts for the fund or on the party's fund to its members.
Thanggaraju and Shanmuganathan also called for a press conference to reiterate their claims that the party's accounts were not in order and it was facing de-registration.
In Ipoh yesterday morning, Murugiah said he still respected Kayveas. "He is still my boss, my leader. I respect him as my leader. I am still loyal to him," he told reporters here.
He declined to say if he would be meeting Kayveas anytime soon to resolve his problem.
On claims that he had not been attending supreme council meetings, he said he had in fact had been attending all such meetings.
"Every Saturday, they have meetings but these are not supreme council meetings. These meetings are to prepare for the coming annual general meeting."
He said he could not attend some of the meetings because of prior engagements with the public to resolve the people's problems.
On his meeting with Najib, he said there was a serious allegation against him that he had bribed somebody.
"I am in the government. Such an allegation will affect the government too... so I met the PM to clear the matter with him."
posted by Y.B Senator Datuk T.Murugiah at
6:12 PM
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