By IANS,
Singapore : Secretary general of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), Datuk S. Murugesan, has resigned after he lost the Kota Raja parliamentary seat in the Malaysian state of Selangor in the country’s May 5 general elections.
In his resignation letter to party president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, he has also sought a week’s leave, local media reported Tuesday.
Despite high expectations, the MIC fared miserably in the elections, winning just four parliamentary seats, the same number it held prior to the polls, and five state seats, down from seven it had won earlier.
The MIC is one of the three major constituents of the country’s ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, the other two being the United Malays National Organisation and the Malaysian Chinese Association.
“I want to say thank you to everyone, including the media, for the support while serving as secretary-general of MIC,” the reports quoted Murugesan, 49, as saying in a statement Tuesday.
“The time has come for me to step down and to allow others to continue with the process of rebuilding the party,” he added.
He added that he would continue to serve as a member of the party Central Working Committee and as a branch chairman.
He said he had earlier conveyed his decision to resign to the party president if he lost his seat in the general elections.
Murugesan, who is an engineer and a businessman, also said that he has thanked Palanivel for giving him the opportunity to serve the party and wished the latter the very best to build a stronger MIC.