He says Tengku Sariffuddin should take advice from RoS’ lawyers before suggesting DAP’s registration is at risk of being revoked.
PETALING JAYA: The DAP’s legal bureau says Prime Minister Najib Razak’s press secretary was erroneous in suggesting the party’s registration was at risk and that there was uncertainty about whether its rocket logo could be used in the 14th general election (GE14).
Bureau chairman Gobind Singh Deo said Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad had gotten his facts wrong as the matter had already been cleared in court in 2014.
“We will not be cowed by the press secretary to the prime minister. Who is he to speak on behalf of the Registrar of Societies (RoS)?
“He should take advice from the lawyers who represented the RoS in a suit brought by DAP against it in 2014,” he added in a press statement.
Gobind said the RoS had then, through its lawyers, conceded that what its office had conveyed to DAP in a letter on the matter was merely advice and not legally binding on the party.
He said the RoS had recognised that the DAP’s central executive committee (CEC), elected on Sept 29, 2013, may carry out all its powers, functions and duties in accordance with DAP’s constitution.
“The CEC has acted in accordance with this until now. It has administered the party for the last four years without any directions from the RoS to the contrary.
“I must therefore advise the press secretary to be very careful,” Gobind added.
“He should not simply make announcements on behalf of or relating to RoS which are contrary to the concession reached. He has no right to do that.”
On April 17, 2013, just three weeks before the 13th general election (GE13) on May 5, the RoS had sent a letter to DAP stating that the party’s new CEC was not recognised due to a dispute surrounding the party elections.
However, the RoS issued another letter on April 19 informing that the party would be allowed to use its rocket symbol in the election.
On Jan 22, 2014, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng filed a judicial review application on behalf of the party, saying the RoS had no power under the Societies Act 1966 to refuse the recognition of the CEC which was re-elected on Sept 29, 2013.
DAP decided to drop the application on Sept 23, 2014, following the RoS’ recognition of the re-elected CEC and its stand that statements on the matter were merely advice and not legally binding.
Tengku Sariffudin had yesterday called on DAP’s Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong, who had made a critical statement on Najib, to be more concerned about the “predicament” DAP was facing.
He said DAP members did not know whether the party’s rocket logo could be used in the upcoming GE14 since its current CEC was not recognised by the RoS.
“This is because DAP’s party elections are alleged to be gerrymandered and an undemocratic fix-up by Penang Official 1 (Lim Guan Eng) and his father (Lim Kit Siang) to perpetuate the family’s half-century-long dictatorship over DAP,” Tengku Sariffudin said.
“This means DAP’s secretary-general, Penang Official 1, is in no position to authorise anything in the party as he is not legally recognised.
“In fact, DAP’s entire leadership is under threat and could be declared illegal for their alleged election manipulation,” he added. -FMT
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