adminKUALA LUMPUR: Perikatan Nasional (PN) filed a judicial review application at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday to challenge the actions of the Malaysian Registration of Societies (ROS) regarding the registration status of the political coalition.
PN Secretary-General, Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, said the application was filed by the five secretaries-general of the coalition’s component parties as applicants.
He said they consisted of himself as the Secretary-General of PN and PAS; Wong Chia Zhen, Secretary-General of the Malaysian People’s Movement Party (Gerakan); Satish Kumar, Secretary-General of the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP); Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, Secretary-General of the National Vision Party; and Datuk Sazmi Miah, Secretary-General of the Homeland Fighters Party (Pejuang).
“The respondents are two, namely Datuk Muhammad Zulfikar Ahmad, as the Registrar of Societies of Malaysia, and Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, as the Home Minister,” he said at a press conference at the Parliament Media Centre, here, on Monday.
Takiyuddin said among the relief sought in the application was a certiorari order to quash the notice issued by ROS against PN.
He said PN was also seeking a declaration regarding the validity of the notices and orders issued under Subsections 13(2) and 13(2A) of the Societies Act 1966.
“The first notice, dated September 22, was issued under Subsection 13(2) of the Societies Act 1966 and requested PN to provide an explanation to ROS to the satisfaction of ROS so that a proposal to cancel the registration of Perikatan Nasional could not be made,” he said.
Takiyuddin said that PN, through the coalition’s lawyers, had previously sent a letter to RoS on September 24 to obtain a meeting date with the department’s Director General to seek clarification on the matter.
According to him, PN again sent a letter on September 28 seeking clarification on the status of the coalition, including its rights and qualifications to contest in the election.
An application for certiorari is one of the remedies that can be applied for through the judicial review process to challenge and request the annulment of a decision, action or order made by an authoritative body.
On September 23, ROS suspended all PN activities following a notice issued to the coalition the day before.
ROS previously explained that the notice was intended to seek clarification from PN regarding the complaint submitted by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
The department also explained that the notice was not a decision to cancel PN’s registration, but rather gave the coalition room to submit an explanation within a reasonable period of time.
This development occurred following an official complaint submitted by Bersatu to ROS on August 11.
The complaint, among others, involved allegations that Bersatu was not included in the PN Supreme Council Meeting on July 16, as well as issues related to the party’s position and membership in the coalition.
-Agency
