THE GLOVES ARE OFF, NAJIB GETS NASTY – HARAPAN CAN FORGET ABOUT THEIR REGISTRATION: ROS TO PROBE DR M’S BERSATU, CONFIRMS ZAHID

PUTRAJAYA – The Registrar of Societies (RoS) has initiated an investigation into Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) on the status of its annual general meeting that has been opposed by several party members, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, said that as the investigation required scrutiny of documents, which would take some time, RoS had been asked to step up the investigation.

“We have asked RoS to not just initiate an investigation but to step up the probe and look into the complaints,” he said when commenting on calls by the PPBM members who wanted RoS to speed up the probe and take action. They claimed that the AGM held on Dec 30 last year was unlawful and violated the party constitution.

Yesterday, former PPBM Youth committee member Mohamad Taufik Abas said that 1,999 PPBM members would gather at the RoS headquarters to protest if no action was taken against the party in two weeks.

Asked at a press conference after the Home Ministry monthly assembly here today whether RoS would be able to complete its investigation in two weeks, Ahmad Zahid said: “I will leave it to them. I never get involved in their (RoS) operational activities”.

Prior to this, Ahmad Zahid was reported to have said that RoS had received 249 complaints from PPBM members nationwide, especially on alleged violation by the party’ of its own constitution.

According to him, 47 of the complaints have elements that the party is violating its own constitution, as well as the party’s rules and regulations.

At the media conference, Ahmad Zahid also hit out at Pakatan Harapan for claiming that the formulation of a law to check fake news was to “cover up truth”.

The formulation of the new law is not intended to cover any truth, he said.

“During the 13th General Election, the claims on 40,000 Bangladeshi brought to Malaysia is not fake news? Is that the truth they are going to portray again?

“There will be some fake news in the last minutes campaigning strategy … I am very sure,” he said when commenting on a statement by Pakatan Harapan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to not use the law to cover up the truth.

At today’s assembly, Ahmad Zahid launched the Home Ministry’s Recruitment Profiling System (SPIER) which was developed to identify candidates who meet the key criteria, especially in terms of personality, integrity, mental health, competency and patriotism.

SPIER will be used in the recruitment of Home Ministry’s enforcement personnel, like for the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Immigration Department.

SPIER is a three-system computerised psychometric test and can also be used in the self-development of an officer.

SPIER for the Malaysian Prisons Department, Volunteers Department of Malaysia, National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) and the Malaysian Border security Agency (Aksem) is being developed and expected to be fully utlised by 2019.

— Bernama