PN’s deregistration proves Bersatu was in the right, says Azmin

Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali said the party will examine the RoS’s decision in full and discuss its next steps at a Supreme Council meeting.PETALING JAYA: The deregistration of Perikatan Nasional (PN) proves that Bersatu was in the right when it lodged its complaint over the coalition’s management on Aug 11, the party's secretary-general Azmin Ali said today.He said the party explained to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in August how the PN leadership had denied its rights guaranteed under the coalition’s constitution, in breach of the Societies Act 1966.Azmin also took aim at PAS, saying it was portraying itself as a political victim in PN’s deregistration and attempting to garner sympathy ahead of the Melaka election."Stop the propaganda and extreme identity politics. The fact is that PAS failed to manage an organisation based on the principles of democracy and good management, and frequently betrayed its partners."PN cannot be a refuge for a group that is power-hungry and has sought to hijack the PN brand, which is moderate, progressive and responsive to the needs of Malaysians," he said in a statement.Azmin said Bersatu would examine the RoS's decision in full and discuss the party’s next steps at a Supreme Council meeting.Earlier today, the RoS said PN's Oct 12 response to a show-cause notice dated Sept 22 failed to justify retaining its registration.It said the reasons given "could not rebut the grounds for deregistration, and did not provide strong justification for maintaining the society’s registration". However, it did not say what the grounds were or what PN had argued.PN and PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan questioned the timing of the deregistration, alleging that it raised concerns about political motives ahead of the Melaka state election.Takiyuddin said the RoS issued its show-cause notice on Sept 22, the day the dissolution of the Melaka state assembly was announced, and suspended PN's activities the following day.The deregistration, meanwhile, came just 11 days before nomination day for the state election.

PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the coalition will challenge its deregistration by the RoS and seek a stay of the decision.PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional (PN) will challenge its deregistration by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) and seek a stay of the decision, its secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said today.Takiyuddin also urged the attorney-general to explain the move at a High Court hearing on Oct 22, when PN’s application to stay the earlier suspension of its activities is due to be heard."PN will also take action against all parties who insult and sideline the court process," he said in a statement.The RoS earlier announced that it had deregistered PN after finding that the coalition’s response to a show-cause notice failed to justify retaining its registration.After examining the documents and explanations provided by PN on Oct 12, the RoS found that PN had failed to rebut the grounds for revoking its registration.While the High Court granted PN leave for judicial review, the court did not grant an interim stay on the suspension of its activities.Commenting on the sequence of events, Takiyuddin said PN submitted a written request on Oct 14 for no further action to be taken pending the hearing.He said a letter from the attorney-general dated Oct 19 stated that the deregistration process was ongoing, without saying it would be completed the next day.He claimed the deregistration fundamentally changed the circumstances of the dispute before the court could hear PN’s application for a stay.Allegations to weaken rivals ahead of Melaka pollsTakiyuddin also questioned the timing of the deregistration, alleging that it raised concerns about political motives ahead of the Melaka state election.He said the RoS issued its show-cause notice on Sept 22, the day the dissolution of the Melaka state assembly was announced, and suspended PN’s activities the following day.The deregistration, meanwhile, came just 11 days before nomination day for the state election."PN condemns this action as an attempt to pre-empt the court’s consideration and weaken a political opponent ahead of the Melaka election," he said.The Melaka state election is scheduled for Nov 14, with nomination day set for Oct 31.