Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali said the deregistration of Perikatan Nasional (PN) proved that his party was right to lodge a complaint over the coalition’s management.
He said Bersatu had explained to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in August how PN’s leadership had denied the party rights guaranteed under the coalition’s constitution, allegedly breaching the Societies Act 1966.
Azmin said Bersatu lodged the complaint on Aug 11.
Azmin accuses PAS of exploiting the issue
Azmin also criticised PAS, accusing the party of portraying itself as a political victim following PN’s deregistration in an attempt to gain public sympathy ahead of the Melaka state 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,” he said in a statement.
“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.”
Azmin said Bersatu would study the RoS decision in full before discussing its next course of action at a Supreme Council meeting.
RoS rejects PN’s explanation
Earlier today, the RoS said PN’s response to a show-cause notice dated Sept 22 had failed to justify retaining its registration.
The registrar said PN’s reply, received on Oct 12, did not sufficiently rebut the grounds for deregistration. However, it did not disclose the specific grounds or PN’s arguments.
The deregistration came after the RoS suspended PN’s activities on Sept 23.
PN and PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan questioned the timing of the decision, alleging that it raised concerns about possible political motives ahead of the Melaka state election.
Takiyuddin noted that the RoS issued its show-cause notice on Sept 22, the same day the dissolution of the Melaka state assembly was announced, and suspended PN’s activities the following day.
The deregistration came just 11 days before nomination day for the state election.
