DAP today urged the Registrar of Societies (RoS) to explain why it had not responded to a letter submitted by the party on July 21 over the re-election of its central executive committee (CEC). 

The party’s legal bureau chairman, Gobind Singh Deo, said RoS was often slow to respond to matters related to his party.

“I want to ask RoS to explain why it keeps on delaying things when it comes to the DAP. First, it took them four years to make a decision, then it took them 10 days to send us a letter informing us of that decision. Now there is a delay again. 

“These delays prejudice us. We cannot proceed with a re-election without a response from RoS. So, I ask again for RoS to be professional and stop the delays, and send us a response without any more delays,” he said at a press conference in Parliament. 

DAP has agreed to abide by an RoS order to hold fresh polls for its central leadership but had also requesteD proof of alleged irregularities that nullified previous CEC polls.

The DAP held a second election for the CEC in September 2013 after its first election in December 2012 was not recognised by the RoS following complaints by party members.

Gobind today said the party couldn’t proceed with the re-election as one of the conditions set by RoS was to appoint an independent body to oversee the conduct of the re-election with the approval by RoS.

“So we have written back to them, giving them a name but the letter says it has to get their approval so they have to approve it.

“Until and unless they approve it we can’t move forward,” he said.

In the letter submitted to the RoS, DAP’s Teresa Kok, who was the national organising secretary from 2008 to 2012, said the party was ready to conduct a re-election for the CEC through a special congress in accordance with the party constitution.

An independent auditor, PKF Consulting, will also be appointed to monitor and conduct the re-election, the letter said.

Kok, now DAP’s national vice-chairman, said the decision to hold a re-election was because the 14th general election could be called soon. GE14 must be held by August 2018. – July 31, 2017.