Malaysia’s Registrar of Societies cancels registration of Perikatan Nasional coalition

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Malaysia’s Registrar of Societies said it made the decision after examining all the documents and explanations submitted by Perikatan Nasional on Oct 12.

PUTRAJAYA – Malaysia’s Registrar of Societies (ROS) has cancelled the registration of Perikatan Nasional (PN) after finding that the explanation submitted by the coalition failed to refute the grounds for deregistration stated in an earlier notice.

In a statement on Oct 20, ROS said it made the decision after examining all the documents and explanations submitted by PN on Oct 12.

According to the department, the reasons given by PN also did not provide strong justification for maintaining the party’s registration.

“In this regard, the Registrar of Societies has decided to cancel PN’s registration under subparagraph 13(1)(c)(iv) of the Societies Act 1966,” the statement said.

ROS said it had previously issued a notice dated Sept 22 to PN, giving the party an opportunity to submit an explanation and representations regarding the matters raised.

Following the notice, PN submitted its response on Oct 12.

ROS stressed that every registered society is responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Societies Act 1966 and its own Constitution.

The department also gave an assurance that it would continue to carry out its regulatory and enforcement functions firmly, fairly and in accordance with the law to ensure orderly, transparent and integrity-driven governance of societies.

PN had previously been embroiled in an internal dispute following a complaint by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia to ROS regarding the party’s position in the coalition.

ROS had earlier confirmed receiving Bersatu’s official complaint on Aug 11, which included allegations that the party was excluded from the PN Supreme Council meeting on July 16 and an issue concerning its membership status in the coalition. BERNAMA