> ROS: Jayashree not IPF president

The election of Jayashree Pandithan as Indian Progressive Front president last year has been declared null and void by the Registrar of Societies.

Registrar Md Alias Kalil, in a letter to the party dated Jan 30, 2009 also declared void the suspension of deputy president V Sengutuvan and vice president M Mathayalagan and the show cause notice issued to 12 IPF supreme council members by Jayashree last December. 

The letter was released to the press by Sengutuvan at a press conference today, reported Bernama.

IPF is a breakaway party from MIC formed by the late G Pandithan, which claims to have 300,000 members. The party supports Barisan Nasional though it is not a member of the coalition.

The decision of the ROS is bound to send the party into crisis as fresh party polls would now have to be held to fill the vacuum.

Sengutuvan: I am acting president

According to Sengutuvan, the ROS letter also declared the IPF general assembly on Dec 14 last year as unconstitutional. 

"With the clarification, Puan Sri Jayashree is no more the party president. I have been reinstated as deputy president and thus I will take over as acting president of the party.

“Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi have been informed," said Sengutuvan.

The letter also specificed that failure to comply with the ROS rulings would result in action being instituted against the party under Section 13 of the Registration of Societies Act.

"Basically it means that if the orders of the Registrar are not followed, the IPF can be deregistered. I will call for a meeting of the old supreme council and decide the next course of action of the party," he added.

During the December party polls, Jayashree was returned unopposed as party chief, while K Murugiah was elected deputy president. M. Sambanthan, S Visvanathan and K Naducheralathan were elected the three vice-presidents - Malaysiakini.

Well done, Registrar of Societies! - My Journal.