PENANG, 29 May 2009: The political crisis in the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) continues to deteriorate when its former Penang vice-chairperson V Nanda Kumar today claimed to be the party’s state chairperson while Datuk Dr Loga Bala Mohan is still holding the post.
Nanda who held a press conference today said he was appointed by Senator Datuk T Murugiah as the new state chairperson.
“I was appointed by Murugiah after the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held in Putrajaya last Sunday,” he said.
Nanda, who is Bukit Gelugor division chief, said the appointment was supported by about 60% of PPP members in the state.
However, in an immediate response, Loga said all the claims by Nanda were invalid as he did not receive any appointment letter from the party leadership.
“I have also not received any instruction from my party leadership to relinquish my position as the state chairperson,” he said.
Loga said the Registrar of Societies (RoS) had also announced that the party under the leadership of Datuk M Kayveas was a valid party.
“I would advise him (Nanda) to follow the law and stop the blaming game,” he said.
Loga said Nanda and Balik Pulau division chief SV Manimaran did not attend the state convention officiated by Kayveas on 20 May.
“The divisions led by Nanda and Manimaran failed to conduct their own annual general meeting (AGM) and that’s the reason they missed the state convention,” he said.
Meanwhile, he will leave it to the party leadership and supreme council to decide what action to take against Nanda and Manimaran.
PPP, a component party of the Barisan Nasional, plunged into a crisis after Murugiah, who is a PPP supreme council member and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, and several other leaders of the party were expelled by the party’s disciplinary board recently.
Murugiah was elected as the “new president” of PPP at the EGM on 24 May, prompting a probe by the RoS. — Bernama
