IT is ridiculous that DAP must advertise its central executive committee (CEC) re-election in newspapers, said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today.

He cited the terms set by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in a letter to the party, one of which is a request for a notice to be made in major local newspapers within 14 days prior to the polls.

“For a political party to advertise in the paper is ridiculous. RoS is weaponised. Now, it is a political instrument (used) against opposition parties like DAP,” he said on the sidelines of DAP’s media conference held at the party’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke said such a term was “unprecedented” in political history, but the party would comply.

“DAP received ‘special treatment’ from RoS because none of these terms has been set for other parties, such as the term requesting that we publish it (the notice) in major local newspapers.

“This term is unprecedented, but DAP will cooperate and comply with all the terms.”

Loke said the list would include 2,576 names, like the figure in 2012, but not all the same names would be included, as some had left the party or had died.

He said this was agreed to by RoS.

On Saturday, RoS agreed on the party’s appointment of US-based independent audit firm Grant Thornton for the CEC re-election, scheduled to be held on November 12 at Ideal Convention Centre Shah Alam.

Lim said the party had complied with RoS’ terms, which, among others, requested for the party to appoint a new auditing firm for the polls.

He stressed that the appointment of a new firm did not imply that the previous firm lacked credibility, and that DAP was just complying with RoS’ rules.

“We have nothing to hide and we are not afraid to have the re-election.

“RoS stated that they want a different auditing firm (for the re-election). This has nothing to do with the previous firm’s credibility. There is no doubt about the credibility of the previous firm.”

On July 17, DAP received a letter from RoS, telling the party to re-elect its CEC members as RoS did not acknowledge the results of DAP’s polls on December 15, 2012, and subsequent re-election on September 29, 2013.

Asked about PAS’ statement urging the people to reject “traitor parties”, Lim said the Islamist party’s leaders had been making “deviated political statements aimed at the opposition”.

“Some statements made by PAS are filled with hostility towards non-Muslims.” – October 9, 2017.