KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should introduce a Political Parties Act to regulate political parties separately from other organisations under the Societies Act 1966.
Bersatu information chief Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said the proposed legislation was needed following the dispute over the Registrar of Societies' (RoS) decision to deregister Perikatan Nasional (PN) earlier this week.
Tun Faisal questioned the RoS' independence from executive influence, despite Section 3(1) of the Societies Act 1966 stipulating that the Registrar is appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
"There is a need to reform the laws and regulatory bodies governing political parties.
"The Act should go beyond the appointment of the Registrar and cover procedures for forming political coalitions, whether before or after elections," he said in a post on X today.
Tun Faisal said the proposed law should also require political parties to declare their assets, expenditure and political donations.
He also proposed setting up a special tribunal to resolve disputes involving party members, political parties and coalition partners.
Citing Kenya's Political Parties Act 2011, he said the country had established a selection committee comprising representatives of political parties, the legal fraternity and other stakeholders to oversee the appointment of its Registrar of Political Parties.
He said Malaysia should begin discussions involving political leaders and other stakeholders on introducing similar legislation as a long-term solution to political disputes.
On Tuesday, the RoS revoked PN's registration after finding that its explanation had failed to address the grounds for deregistration.
However, the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Thursday granted PN a stay of the deregistration pending a judicial review, allowing the coalition to contest the Nov 14 Melaka state election under its logo.
The RoS yesterday filed an appeal against the High Court's decision.
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