Dr M photo ban: EC told to respect court process

Gobind Singh Deo says the EC has no right to give orders to PH as the court case on the opposition pact’s registration is ongoing.

GEORGE TOWN: Pakatan Harapan (PH) legal bureau chief Gobind Singh Deo today reminded the Election Commission (EC) that it should wait for the court’s decision on the pact’s registration before issuing any orders to the opposition alliance.

He said the EC’s instruction not to use PH chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s pictures in campaign materials was arbitrary and that it should respect the court’s process.

Gobind also said the EC presently had no power to issue instructions to PH and that any orders would be premature.

“In my opinion, they (the EC) ought to wait before making any instruction or decision. The EC’s decision is also subject to challenge by PH.

“The EC should respect the due process of the court, and wait for the court’s decision… unless the EC has made up its mind that we will not succeed (in the court case).

“If tomorrow we get an order for the Registrar of Societies (RoS) to register PH, this means we can use Mahatir’s photo as a prime ministerial candidate,” Gobind said in a press conference at the Penang chief minister’s office today.

DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke said yesterday that parties under PH were not allowed to display pictures of Mahathir in banners and posters for its campaigns in the general election.

He said the EC’s excuse was that PH was not registered.

“We want to put up pictures of our leader. It is not their (the EC’s) business,” he said.

Gobind said there was a chance that the RoS might register PH, which comprises PKR, DAP, Amanah and PPBM.

PH has applied to register as a formal coalition so that it can contest under a single logo but so far, its application has not been approved by the RoS.

The High Court will hear tomorrow PH’s bid to compel the RoS to register the opposition pact.

The date also marks the last day of the current Dewan Rakyat sitting.

PH parties made the application to the RoS on July 28 but have yet to hear from the agency. They wrote again on Aug 21, asking for a meeting to discuss the application.

PH then sent RoS a notice on Oct 25, asking for a response to the application within 14 days of receipt of the letter. PH had submitted its draft constitution to the RoS on July 24 and its logo on July 28.

On March 23, RoS director-general Surayati Ibrahim said PPBM was holding back the PH registration as the new party was required to submit minutes of division, branch and central meetings as well as the party’s financial statement. - FMT