Sixteen former Umno members who are seeking a court order to compel the Registrar of Societies to dissolve Umno over irregularities in its leadership elections have obtained an early date before the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
Their application for leave will be heard on Thursday, before Justice Kamaludin Mohd Said.
Counsel Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdulla, when met, expressed surprise over the early date fixed as no certificate of urgency was filed.
"When we filed, we filed it electronically and today we got the reply that a date has been fixed for this Thursday," Haniff said.
This comes ahead of nomination day this Saturday for the 14th general election, which will fall on May 9.
Last Friday, the 16 led by former Seri Merpati Pandan Indah Umno branch leader Salihudin Ahmad Khalid had filed a judicial review application to, among others, quash the ROS decision granting Umno an extension until April 19 next year for it to hold party elections.
They also want the ROS to investigate their complaints that the party elections were not held according to the party's constitution and thus, a dissolution of the party should be ordered.
The 16 named the ROS and Umno organising secretary Abdul Rauf Yusoh as respondents.
The 16 – from 11 branches in six states – had earlier written a letter to the party headquarters questioning why the branch, divisional and supreme council elections were not held.
They said the branch elections were supposed to have been held by Feb 28 this year while elections for the divisions and party supreme council were to be held by April 19 this year.
They said this was because the branches last held their elections on Aug 31, 2013, and the next elections are to be held within three years with only an extension of 18 months allowed.
16 seeking action sacked
However, Umno president Najib Abdul Razak said that the ROS has granted the party an extension until April 19 next year for it to hold its elections.
The 16 are seeking a judicial review to quash the ROS decision to allow Umno the time extension and a mandamus order to compel the ROS to utilise Section 13, 14, 16 and 66 of the Societies Act to investigate the party based on the correspondence it sent to the ROS.
Alternatively, the applicants are seeking a mandamus order to compel the ROS to take action against Rauf for allegedly violating Articles 9.3, 9.4, 10.16, 15.3 and 18.2 and of the Umno constitution for not holding the party elections within the 18 months provided for.
In addition to this, the applicants are seeking the de-registration of Umno once the ROS completes its investigations into the alleged violations.
The applicants also want the ROS to issue a notice under Sections 14(2) and 14(5) under the Societies Act for provisional dissolution and permanent dissolution.
The applicants also want the court to compel the ROS to suspend all Umno's activities until the disposal of the judicial review, plus a declaration that all Umno branches do not have legal effect and that all party divisions and the Umno supreme council be dissolved effective April 20, 2018.
The 16 applicants, aged between 30 and 55, are Salihudin Ahmad Khalid, Noor Halimi Yahya, Mariam Mohd Ishak, Mohd Hafami Hanif, Saharuddin Tukiman, Azaid Jani, Normalawati Hassan, Radiana Abd Manaf, Mohd Raafeek Rahim, Nurul Hanna Mohd Suhot, Kamarul Abd Wahid, Mohd Hikamal Md Hassim, Muzamzamir Abd Wahab, Norizam Jamaludin, Rohani Ahmad and Muhamad Hafizi Hashim.
Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor announced last Saturday that the 16 had been sacked with immediate effect and that their legal challenge was part of an opposition ploy. - Mkini
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