KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said the cancellation of Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) registration showed that the coalition’s leadership, led by PAS, had breached the Societies Act 1966 and PN’s constitution.
In a statement posted on Facebook today, Azmin said the explanations and evidence provided by PAS during the Registrar of Societies’ (RoS) investigation were baseless and failed to meet legal and constitutional requirements.
He said the PN leadership’s decision to deny Bersatu the right to attend, express its views and vote at a PN Supreme Council meeting on July 16 amounted to a serious breach of Clause 7.1 of the coalition’s constitution.
Azmin said the action had caused significant harm to PN and could jeopardise its future.
He also accused the coalition’s leadership of disregarding good governance and transparency, creating pressure to remove Bersatu’s membership through a veto exercised by an individual who did not hold a position on the PN Supreme Council.
Azmin said Bersatu had been called to give evidence to the RoS on August 18 and had provided factual explanations and evidence that PN’s leadership had denied the party rights guaranteed under the coalition’s constitution.
He said Bersatu’s complaint, submitted on August 11, was intended to ensure PN was managed with accountability, transparency and integrity, and complied with the law and its constitution.
“PN cannot be allowed to become a shelter for groups hungry for political power and seeking to hijack the Perikatan Nasional brand, which is moderate, progressive and responsive to the Malaysian people,” he said.
Azmin accused PAS and its allies of portraying themselves as victims of political manoeuvring to gain sympathy ahead of the Melaka state election.
He also criticised what he described as excessive identity politics, accusing PAS of failing to manage an organisation based on democratic principles and good governance, and of betraying its political allies.
Azmin said Bersatu found the RoS decision difficult to accept because it was a founding member of PN and had helped establish the coalition.
Nevertheless, he said Bersatu accepted that PN must fulfil its responsibilities under its constitution and the Societies Act 1966, also known as Act 832, to ensure legal compliance and orderly governance.
He said Bersatu would study the full RoS decision before its Supreme Leadership Council discussed the next steps to rebuild public confidence in a political coalition that promotes moderation, values-based politics and a new vision for a prosperous Malaysia.