The Malaysian Insider understands that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lynchpin received a letter from the RoS early this month, warning that PKR would be deregistered as the party allegedly contravened its constitution.
The alleged contraventions are believed to be related to the PKR polls last year that were fraught with irregularities.
“Don’t play double-standards,” Salahuddin told reporters today.
“Don’t take the advantage to deregister PKR when we are facing (general) elections,” he added.
The first-ever direct PKR elections last year, in which party members were allowed to vote in their national leaders, were plagued with allegations of electoral fraud and led deputy presidential contender Datuk Zaid Ibrahim pulling out of the race and quitting the party.
The RoS said in its show-cause letter that PKR had sacked a member without the matter being heard by the party’s disciplinary board.
But PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said in a separate press conference today that the clause in question does not exist in PKR’s constitution, and accused the RoS of acting in bad faith ahead of a likely early general election that PKR said could be called as early as July.
The letter, sent by Registrar Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman on May 9, said that PKR had “wilfully violated Clause 32.2.1 of the party constitution by sacking Rajagopal A/L Andaikkalam on 01/04/2009 and 27/04/2009 without first being investigated and heard by the disciplinary board.”
Abdul Rahman, citing Section 13 (2) of the Societies Act, said that the RoS will deregister the party after June 9 unless it was given satisfactory explanation.
Salahuddin said today the RoS’s actions were “not shocking”.
“If it’s true, let the courts decide,” said the Kubang Kerian MP, when asked to comment on whether the RoS had proof of its allegations.
RoS’s actions came just after PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was ordered to enter his defence on a charge of sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan three years ago.
High Court judge Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah had concluded last Monday that there was a prima facie case against the 63-year old Opposition Leader who was facing a second sodomy case charge in 13 years.
Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister and finance minister after the first case came to light in 1998.
The embattled de-facto PR leader was also implicated in a controversial sex video that is making rounds in the country.
DAP has stood behind Anwar, however, and affirmed yesterday that he will remain as PR’s Opposition Leader in Parliament even if he is jailed for sodomy.
Opposition leaders are bracing for snap polls before the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) makes inevitable subsidy cuts that could prove unpopular among voters. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced last Monday that the national subsidy bill is expected to top RM20 billion this year.
Several senior BN leaders had signalled the inevitability of price hikes last Monday, hours before the Najib administration announced it will cut the diesel super subsidy for nine categories of commercial vehicles from June 1.
General elections are not due until 2013, but speculation is rife that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will call snap polls by year end or early next year.
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