KUALA LUMPUR, 16 May 2009: The Indian Progressive Front (IPF) will apply to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for the party to join Barisan Nasional (BN), said its president Puan Sri Jayashree Pandithan.
“We have remained loyal and faithful to the BN for the last 20 years and now it is already 21 years and we are still unable to enter the coalition as a component party.
“I, therefore appeal to Prime Minister to consider wisely our application and bring about a change in the fate of thousands of poor and down-trodden Indians by giving IPF the recognition it wanted over the last 20 years,” she told a press conference here today.
IPF would always support BN and was committed to restore the Indian community’s support for the coalition, she said.
Jayashree said that she would seek to meet Najib, who is also BN chairperson, for the latter to consider the party’s application.
On another note, she said irresponsible parties who were trying to deceive and confuse the grassroots with the intention of tarnishing the party’s image would face the consequences.
“Now that it is all clear that my leadership which got its new mandate at the party’s 16 AGM on Dec 14, 2008 is the legal and legitimate leadership. I would like to urge all the party member to forego the differences and unite under one single banner, which is the IPF formed by the late Tan Sri MG Pandithan,” she said.
Meanwhile, IPF’s legal adviser S Selvam, who also present at the press conference, condemned the action of former IPF deputy president V Senggutuan for allegedly abusing the Registrar of Societies (ROS) letter to the party, dated 30 Jan 2009, which declared that the appointment of Jayashree was not in accordance with the Societies Act 1966.
“Jayashree had appointed Youth leader R. Suraienthiran to file for a judicial review to review the ROS letter dated 30 Jan, which we did at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on 13 Feb.
“ROS then wrote to the Attorney General’s Office on 17 April to explain that the letter on 30 Jan which is addressed to the party is an ordinary letter in the form of an advice and not a decision or order from the Registrar yang under the Socities Act 1966 (Act 335),” he said.
Selvam said the Attorney General’s office had written a letter to his firm dated 11 May advising IPF to withdraw the judicial review pursuant to the letter by ROS dated 17 April.
“We will do as advised. The response from ROS and the advice given by Attorney-General’s Office confirms the president of IPF is none other than Jayashree, that party’s general assembly on 14 Dec 2008 is valid and the removal or suspension of Senggutuan is valid and the issue is now resolve,” he said.
On 14 Feb, Senggutuan had called a press conference where he claimed that the IPF had plunged into a crisis after the ROS declared as void the election of Jayashree as party president on 14 Dec 2008.
Among others, Registrar Datuk Md Alias Kalil, in a letter to the party dated 30 Jan 2009, declared that the appointment of Jayashree was not in accordance with the Societies Act 1966.
The ROS in a letter also declared void the suspension of Senggutuan and vice-president M Mathyalagan and issued a show cause notice to 12 IPF supreme council members concerning 14 Dec AGM.— Bernama
geekrawk says
“ROS then wrote to the Attorney General’s Office on 17 April to explain that the letter on 30 Jan which is addressed to the party is an ordinary letter in the form of an advice and not a decision or order from the Registrar yang under the Societies Act 1966 (Act 335),” he said.
<---- yang under the Socities Act?
Andrew I says
Best of luck.