KUALA LUMPUR: Perikatan Nasional has yet to decide which logo its candidates will use in the upcoming Melaka election following the coalition's deregistration by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) today.
PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said it was too early to make a decision, adding that candidates could still contest under a component party's logo even without a registered coalition brand.
"PN comprises Pas, Wawasan, Gerakan, Malaysian Indian People's Party (MIPP) and Pejuang. We can discuss which logo to use, just as Pakatan Harapan used the PKR logo in the 2018 general election.
"At the time, it worked out fine. DAP, Bersatu and Amanah president Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu did not object," he said at a press conference in Parliament today.
Takiyuddin said there was still time to decide before the Melaka election on Oct 31.
Earlier, the RoS announced that it had cancelled PN's registration after finding that the coalition's explanations failed to address the grounds stated in an earlier notice.
The decision was made under Subparagraph 13(1)(c)(iv) of Act 832 after the RoS reviewed documents and representations submitted by PN on Oct 12.
Takiyuddin also denied allegations that Pas, himself and PN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar were responsible for the deregistration.
He said PN had already submitted details to the RoS explaining why Bersatu was not invited to the coalition's Supreme Leadership Council meeting on July 16, a decision cited as grounds for the cancellation.
He said PN's practice was to exclude any component party facing internal disputes, including contested leadership positions, from coalition meetings to avoid questions over the validity of decisions made.
Takiyuddin cited MIPP's internal leadership dispute in January, saying he had written to the party to suspend its participation in PN meetings until the matter was resolved.
He said a similar approach was taken with Bersatu after four of its MPs — Sabak Bernam, Sungai Besar, Kangar and Kulim-Bandar Baru — lodged a complaint with the RoS on July 13 over the quorum of a Bersatu Supreme Leadership Council meeting.
The following day, Takiyuddin said he wrote to Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, raising PN's concerns and asking the party to clarify the situation or seek clarification from the RoS.
He said Bersatu was informed that it would not be invited to PN meetings until the matter was resolved.
Takiyuddin added that PN also considered Bersatu's decision to use its own logo in the Negri Sembilan state election, announced by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on July 15.
He said Bersatu's decision indicated that it did not wish to use the PN logo, which was another reason it was not invited to the July 16 meeting to decide on the coalition's logo and candidates.
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