Applications to register Pejuang and Muda were rejected due to discrepancies in requirements under the Societies Act 1966, claims Home Minister, denying he had any part in it.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin announced today that applications by the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) and Bersatu-splinter Pejuang to register as political parties were rejected due to their non-compliance with provisions under the Societies Act 1966.
Hamzah said the Registrar of Societies had, upon verifying documents submitted in both applications, found discrepancies with the requirements under Schedule 1 of the Act.
“Therefore, the registration applications from Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) and Muda were rejected on Jan 6, pursuant to Section 7(3)(e) of Act 335.
“In relation to that, pursuant to Section 18 Act 335, an appeal application can be submitted to the home minister within 30 days from date of the decision,” Hamzah told a press conference in Putrajaya.
He also denied having any part in rejecting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s applications to register their political parties.
Confirming that Dr Mahathir’s Pejuang has since filed an appeal over the rejection, Hamzah insisted that their applications had not been in order.
“It wasn’t me who rejected (the applications) but the RoS (Registrar of Societies),” he said.
The Bersatu secretary-general said Pejuang’s pro-tem committee had met with the ROS on Jan 8 and filed a formal appeal.
However, he added, Muda’s pro-tem committee led by Syed Saddiq, who is also the Muar MP, has yet to discuss or appeal the decision of ROS.
Meanwhile, Pejuang’s pro tem deputy president Senator Datuk Marzuki Yahya rebutted Hamzah’s claim that his party’s application was rejected as it was not in order.
In a statement today, Marzuki however admitted that both his party, and the RoS had “technical issues and misunderstanding” on both sides, during his January 8 meeting with the director-general of RoS.
He said that RoS had referred to the party’s application via its e-ROSES platform, when his party had already submitted the necessary documents needed in an orderly fashion on October 2, last year.
“Based on the face-to-face rechecking, both parties agreed and took the initiative to use the official documents which were submitted in October 20202, as RoS’ reference, to obtain an approval for this application.
“For the record, Pejuang had submitted an appeal to the home minister and the RoS during the January 8 meeting.
The appeal letter was handed by hand to the director-general of RoS,” he said.
Previously, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who leads Pejuang, alleged “political motive” behind the RoS rejection of his party’s application.
The former prime minister contrasted Pejuang’s attempt to the swift registration of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition that included Hamzah’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia party. Hamzah is also the secretary-general of PN.
Last month, Muda sued both Hamzah and the RoS over the rejection and applied for the courts to compel the registrar to complete the party’s registration.
According to a copy of Syed Saddiq’s affidavit in support of the application, the decision to refuse registration is allegedly unconstitutional as it violated the applicant’s fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression as well as the right to form associations.
He had also claimed that the real reason Muda was not allowed to be registered was linked to his refusal to abide by an unnamed minister’s request that he “commits” himself to the prime minister.