THE Registrar of Societies (RoS) has agreed to the appointment of an independent body by the DAP to conduct the party’s central executive committee (CEC) re-election.

Its director-general, Mohammad Razin Abdullah said the DAP had appointed the United States-based independent audit firm Grant Thornton for the party’s CEC re-election on November 12.

“We have replied to the DAP that we agreed to the independent body’s appointment and it depends on DAP for the CEC re-election,” he said.

Razin told reporters after the handing over ceremony of grants to resident associations in Penang by Deputy Foreign Minister and Kepala Batas MP Reezal Merican Naina Merican, at Millennium Hall in Kepala Batas today.

Before this, it is understood that DAP had appointed PKF Consulting for the CEC re-election.

However, the appointment of the firm as an independent observer was objected by the party’s representative members who are eligible to vote because the firm was personally elected by invalid DAP leaders, which could lead to further suspicion on the re-election.

On October 3, DAP secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng said they were preparing documents in relation to the directive of the RoS that the party conduct a CEC re-election and a press conference will be held at the party’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur soon.

On July 17, DAP received a letter from RoS which told the party to re-elect its CEC since it did not acknowledge the result of DAP’s election on December 15, 2012 and subsequent re-election on September 29, 2013

Earlier, in his speech, Razin said a total of 2,357 associations in the state had been cancelled as of September for breaching the Societies Act 1966 and the organisation rules.

There are some 4,870 active organisations in Penang. – Bernama, October 7, 2017.