Defensive ROS slams DAP for false claims

ROS officer also revealed that DAP leaders had on numerous occasions given their word that the party would abide by ROS decision without any question.

GEORGE TOWN: The Registrar of Societies (ROS) has blasted DAP leaders for lying that the agency’s recent decision to call for fresh party polls had political inclination.

In a strongly-worded letter dated last Wednesday, Aug 7, to DAP, ROS slammed DAP for making false allegations that political influence forced the agency’s decision on the fate of last year’s party central executive council (CEC) elections.

In the letter issued by ROS officer Dasmond Das to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, the agency stressed its decision to call for fresh CEC polls was based solely on the Societies Act 1966.

Dasmond insisted that ROS exercised a humanistic attitude throughout in handling the crisis despite DAP’s continued rants with its lies that “political inclinations influenced our decision”.

“These lies were made several times and particularly throughout the recent general election. It was not to pressure or be vengeful on DAP.

“If we wanted to do that, we would have had many such opportunities to do so but we never did,” said Dasmond Das.

Lim displayed the letter to the media during his press conference in Komtar here today.

Dasmond Das also brushed aside Lim’s claim that the party fully cooperated and provided necessary information for the investigation to ROS.

He claimed that statements by DAP leaders that they gave ROS full cooperation were inaccurate.

He alleged that the DAP leaders have on several occasions asked for postponements or cut short the inquiry periods due to busy party schedules.

Despite being informed earlier, he said the party leaders had frequently deferred the handing over of necessary information or failed to prepare details to assist investigation.

In the letter, Dasmond Das also revealed that DAP leaders had on numerous occasions given their word that the party would abide by ROS decision without any question.

“We have already said their clarification was not satisfactory. In fact, the party leaders themselves know their clarification was not satisfactory. We need not explain any further,” stressed Dasmond.

No ballot manipulation
Dasmond Das’ letter was apparently a reply to Lim’s letter to ROS on Aug 2 requesting a meeting to seek an explanation on the agency’s directive calling on for a fresh party election.

Speaking in his press conference today, Lim said a letter was sent to ROS on Aug 2 urging it to cite the reasons apart from being ‘unsatisfied’ with the clarification made by the party on the corrected CEC results.

“We also told them that Section 16(1) or 16(2) of the Societies Act does not give ROS the power to order any organisation to conduct a re-election as this was out of their jurisdication,” he said.

He said ROS should accept the international audit done on the re-tabulation if it refused to accept DAP’s clarification.

On July 30, ROS had hand-delivered the official letter to DAP on its fresh polls directive as provided under Section 16 (1) of the Societies Act 1966.

Since then Guan Eng and his father, Gelang Patah MP Kit Siang had openly defied the ROS orders.

ROS called for fresh party polls following an investigation into complaints by DAP members that some 700 members did not receive the notice to attend the party national delegates’ conference held in Penang on Dec 15, 2012.

They have also alleged that 547 illegal delegates voted at the CEC polls.

DAP has always denied balloting manipulation, insisting that the party election was clean.