KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) MPs want Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Abdullah to explain his decision to exempt Umno from a legal provision under the Societies Act that requires political parties to hold full internal elections at regular intervals.
Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said the issue was of public interest and must be resolved in Parliament.
“There is a letter, from RoS sent to Umno, saying that the additional resolution that was raised in the party’s 2022 general assembly, was not in order and contradicts with the party’s constitution under Clause 9.3, therefore invalidating the resolution.
“This was the letter that was revealed by Kota Baru in Parliament earlier, but overruled by the home minister’s reply,” Shahidan told a news conference in Parliament this afternoon.
The RoS refers to the Registrar of Societies, which is under the purview of the Home Ministry, and Kota Baru refers to the federal constituency’s MP Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.
Shahidan added that he would filed a motion to table the matter in the Dewan Rakyat as the public deserves to know why the home minister overruled the RoS.
Takiyuddin, who is also PAS secretary- general, and was also at the press conference said that if the RoS letter is genuine, it contradicts Saifuddin Nasution’s statement today.
In a statement earlier this morning, the home minister said Umno is exempt from complying with Section 13(1)(c)(iv) of the Societies Act 1966 for its internal party election this month.
Saifuddin Nasution said the exemption was made under Section 70 of the Societies Act 1966, to allow no contest for the posts of president and deputy president as was approved by Umno delegates during the party's delayed 2022 general assembly held in January this year.
“We want to know on what grounds the exemption was given, since the issue has already been circulated and the home minister has responded,” Takiyuddin added.
