DAP harassed and hounded unjustly

Lim Kit Siang is rightly troubled that the DAP may not be able to contest in GE13 using the party logo – the rocket – because the Registrar of Societies (ROS) has issued a letter freezing the posts of all elected DAP leaders.

Registrar Abdul Rahman Othman

This sudden turn of events has very unfairly rendered the DAP secretary general incapable of issuing letters authorising selected DAP candidates to stand on the DAP platform using the party symbol.

This is clearly aimed at sabotaging DAP’s chances of scoring victories in the elections.

Malaysians would remember that just before this, the ROS had issued a letter to investigate the party elections and summoned two officials to appear before him two days before nomination day. Following outcries from various sources, he withdrew that letter stating that these officials can appear before him after the general elections.

Now two days before nomination day, he is at it again. He has once again issued a letter to the DAP not recognising the party’s elected designations. The intention is the same: to harass and hound the DAP just before the elections.

The DAP is bedevilled on many fronts. It has to contend with an Election Commission that is blatantly biased against the Opposition. The Commission is unable – or unwilling – to conduct free and fair elections. Its electoral rolls are padded with bogus voters that are intended to help the BN and put the Opposition at a disadvantaged position even before the elections.

We have a Registrar of Societies who is bent on putting the DAP in disarray. This is happening at a time when there are so many Umno branches that have not been registered with the ROS – but recognised by Umno and functioning as legitimate entities – without the ROS being riled up.

In 1988, the ROS rejected the application of Umno Malaysia submitted by Tunku and Tun Hussein Onn following Umno’s deregistration. But within three days, Mahathir’s Umno Baru was subsequently registered! The ROS is a partisan civil servant!

Not only that. Umno Baru eventually dropped the word ‘Baru’ and continues to pretend that it has an unbroken history of 67 years as of now. But in reality, the old Umno was buried in 1988 because of Mahathir. The Umno Baru of today is only 25 years old. But this deception was allowed because the ROS is beholden to Umno politics and the double standards treatment is the privilege accorded to Umno Baru.

The DAP has to contend with ridiculous lies and atrocious spin stories dished out daily by the mainstream media, radio and television to paint the Opposition as incapable, unintelligent and a diabolical bunch of politicians.

Now the Registrar has stopped recognising the elected positions of DAP leaders at the very last minute to cause confusion, create unnecessary difficulties and frustrate the will of the voting public. But unintelligently, he says that the DAP candidates can contest under their party’s symbol. To contest under the party symbol, the DAP secretary general has to issue letters of authorisation. How is it possible now?

When the party secretary general is not recognised as such, how can he issue such letters of authorisation?

Of course the secretary general’s letters cannot have any legitimacy following the ROS’ ruling that the party’s elected leaders are no longer recognised as such. This is a deliberate and calculated move to do the DAP in.

It is indeed a trap to snare the DAP. What happens when the letter is rejected as a bogus one on nomination day? It would leave the DAP candidates without a party and without a common symbol to stand under. Is this move meant to force the DAP candidates to contest as independents at the last minute? All these candidates will no longer be seen as DAP candidates. They will have to stand under some incongruous symbols.

They will no longer be seen as a band of contestants belonging to a common party using a common symbol.

Malaysians are horrified and shocked beyond belief at the role played by this civil servant who is not capable of being neutral in carrying out his duties fairly and justly. He is being partisan – and openly so.

The DAP has the sympathies of all fair-minded Malaysians. They are revolted and outraged that at the eleventh hour a civil servant is attempting to throw a spanner in the works. Malaysians will not forgive the Barisan Nasional for this unscrupulous attempt to defeat the DAP even before the election takes place.

This is why a change of government is imperative and necessary. We must vote in a new government to put a stop to all these unethical activities and usher in a pro-rakyat government at the 13th general election.

P Ramakrishnan
Executive committee member
19 April 2013