'Kayveas drove PPP to brink of deregistration'

A former PPP supreme council member has alleged that the party was on the brink of deregistration due to the party president M Kayveas' failure to adhere to Registrar of Societies (ROS) requirements.

NA Shanmuganathan, ex-supreme council member yesterday, claimed that the office-bearer list and financial records had not been submitted to the ROS for six years.

"ROS regulations stipulate that the office-bearer and financial records must be submitted on an annual basis. Records at the ROS however indicate that this has not been adhered to since 2002," said Shanmuganathan (right) .

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Shanmuganathan said he had spoke to a ROS official who confirmed that PPP is on the brink of deregistration.

However, Shanmuganathan's claims took a different spin when PPP vice-president Maglin D'Cruz brushed aside his claims and turn the tables against Shanmuganathan.

He told reporters who met him outside the press conference venue later that Shanmuganathan was suspended from PPP - in accordance to Article 9 of the party constitution - after he was found out to be a bankrupt.

To back his claims, Maglin distributed documents from the Insolvency Department to prove that Shamuganathan was a bankrupt.

Shanmuganthan countered, saying he is in the final stages of nullifying his bankruptcy status.

Maglin ( right ) also alleged that Shamuganathan met the press today solely to disparage Kayveas, noting that the press conference was organised by T Murugiah's aides.

Kayveas felt ‘threatened'

Meanwhile, Shanmuganathan also claimed that he is the latest individual to be disciplined in the party for his open support for Murugiah, PPP rising star and deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

Shanmuganathan said that no reason was given for his dismissal yesterday as a supreme council member and claimed that the dismissal was illegal as there was no disciplinary hearing against him, as required under Article 6.9 of the party constitution.

"I have been dismissed due to my open support for Murugiah," he said.

He did not receive a dismissal letter, rather a letter informing him of his replacement by Sunny Goh, a relative of the former PPP Selangor chief, Jason Goh.

Kayveas (left) is currently on a warpath against his protege Murugiah whom he is accusing of offering inducements to party delegates in return for votes during the party elections on June 7.

However, Murugiah has publicly stated that he is a firm supporter of Kayveas and has no intentions of challenging the party president in the upcoming polls.

Commenting on the ongoing spat between the duo, Shanmuganathan said that Kayveas initiated the process to suspend Murugiah with a mere seven support votes, an act considered illegal under ROS regulations.

"Half or 20 supreme council members need to be present. Instead there were only seven who voted in support of the suspension," he said.

He said that the move to oust Murugiah from his party post was an act of jealousy over the latter's public contributions.

"Kayveas is threatened by Murugiah's popularity. Murugiah is serving the public well," Shanmuganathan said, adding that Kayveas also questioned Murugiah's lack of dedication for PPP members.

Party posts for sale

Shanmuganathan also claimed that Kayveas initiated a practice in which those running for supreme council posts and other top party posts had to pay a hefty fee to qualify, which he claims was tantamount to corruption.

For example, the upcoming polls would require candidates to fork out RM10,000 to run for the supreme council seat, while those gunning for the president's post would have to pay RM30,000.

"This practice has been done since 2005 by Kayveas even though there are no competitions for party positions.

"We have always gotten the seats on a mutual compromise policy," he said, adding that the ROS and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should probe the matter.

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