APRIL 19 ‘DEATH-DAY’ FOR UMNO? NAJIB HAS TO HOLD PARTY POLLS BEFORE GE14 OR UMNO WILL BE AN ILLEGAL PARTY – MUHYIDDIN WARNS ROS AGAINST ANY ‘HANKY PANKY’ TO HELP NAJIB VIOLATE UMNO’S OWN CONSTITUTION

PETALING JAYA ― Umno has violated its own constitution by deferring internal elections to April next year instead of this year, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin asserted today.

The former Umno deputy president now heading Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) said the ruling Malay party is going against Clause 10.16 of the party’s own constitution which allows the supreme council to postpone elections at the top, division, and branch levels up to 18 months from the date they are supposed to be held.

He then said the Registrar of Society (RoS) should act against Umno as the party should have held party elections on April 19, 2018.

“Why have RoS have not taken action against Umno?” he asked, adding the societies regulator “must explain the sense of preferential treatment to Umno”.

“This puts Umno whole party leadership in question as they have lapsed their mandate given by their party members,” the Pagoh MP told reporters at his party headquarters here.

Umno had previously announced its party elections would be deferred to April 19, 2019 from April 19, 2018, but on 26 June 2015, Umno president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced its postponment to prepare members for the 14th general elections.

Last Tuesday Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the extension was legal according to Section 13 A (4) of the Societies Act 1966, which states that RoS is empowered to extend the date or time of the election of registered societies on condition that a written request is made.

Tengku Adnan also said the postponement was to ensure the smooth running of the party in line with Clause 10.15 of the Umno Constitution and taking into account the current political situation as well as the situation in the country in general.

Muhyiddin, however, said he is disappointed that RoS is still threatening to deregister PPBM instead of reprimanding Umno for breaching its own party constitution.

“We have written to RoS to extend our the date of our AGM however they have declined our request and insisted that we do our AGM in accordance with our party constitution.

“We have since complied and yet they still said it was not sufficient and stated that we have breached our own party constitution,” he said.

On February 21, 2018 PPBM filed an originating summon against RoS at the High Court, alleging the latter has behaved above the law including threatening to de-register the party.

– http://www.themalaymailonline.com