DAP urged to obey ROS

The party is trying to avoid washing dirty linen in public, says PCM's Huan

BUTTERWORTH: A frequent critic of DAP has advised the party to obey the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and conduct a fresh election of its Central Executive Committee (CEC), saying this might put to rest doubts about its integrity as a democratic organisation.

Parti Cinta Malaysia vice-president Huan Cheng Guan alleged that the CEC, in deciding last night to defy the ROS directive, was anxious to prevent public exposure of what he called “subtle infighting” within the party.

Last night’s CEC meeting came hours after DAP had received a curt letter from ROS saying it was not satisfied with the party’s explanation of a counting error in last December’s election and ordering it to conduct new polls.

Speaking to FMT today, Huan did not elaborate on his allegation of infighting within DAP but speculated that the decision to defy ROS would cause the public to suspect that the party had “something to hide”.

“DAP should just reconvene its CEC election, get it over with and put to rest whatever suspicions people may have about the party,” he said, adding that this would help the party prove by example that it believed in transparent governance.

It is believed that there is a leadership tussle in DAP between powerful camps in Perak and Selangor as well as between leaders from Johor, Penang and Malacca.

In explaining the CEC decision last night, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng told reporters said his party could not accept the ROS directive because it was not backed by valid reasons.

“We find it extraordinary,” he said. “They can’t just instruct us to conduct a fresh election without giving grounds.

“We feel that the party is held to ransom.

“In the interest of the due process of law, ROS must provide reasons. Why do they reject our explanation and under what provision can they instruct us to conduct fresh polls?”

Jalan Tembikai DAP branch head K Gunabalan supports the party’s decision, saying ROS was trying to intimidate the party.

He noted that none of the aspirants in last December’s CEC election had lodged a complaint about the conduct of the vote. “Therefore,” he said, “there is no basis for the ROS to order the party to convene another election.”