PETALING JAYA: The deregistration of Perikatan Nasional (PN) proves that Bersatu was in the right when it lodged its complaint over the coalition’s management on Aug 11, the party's secretary-general Azmin Ali said today.
He said the party explained to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in August how the PN leadership had denied its rights guaranteed under the coalition’s constitution, in breach of the Societies Act 1966.
Azmin also took aim at PAS, saying it was portraying itself as a political victim in PN’s deregistration and attempting to garner sympathy ahead of the Melaka 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.
"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," he said in a statement.
Azmin said Bersatu would examine the RoS's decision in full and discuss the party’s next steps at a Supreme Council meeting.
Earlier today, the RoS said PN's Oct 12 response to a show-cause notice dated Sept 22 failed to justify retaining its registration.
It said the reasons given "could not rebut the grounds for deregistration, and did not provide strong justification for maintaining the society’s registration". However, it did not say what the grounds were or what PN had argued.
PN and PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan questioned the timing of the deregistration, alleging that it raised concerns about political motives ahead of the Melaka state election.
Takiyuddin said the RoS issued its show-cause notice on Sept 22, the day the dissolution of the Melaka state assembly was announced, and suspended PN's activities the following day.
The deregistration, meanwhile, came just 11 days before nomination day for the state election.