THE Registrar of Societies (RoS) has initiated an investigation to determine the status of Bersatu’s annual general meeting, following allegations that event was unlawful and in violation of the party constitution, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, said as the investigation required scrutiny of documents, which would take some time, RoS had been asked to step up the investigation.

“We have asked RoS to not just initiate an investigation but to step up the probe and look into the complaints,” he said, in response to Bersatu members’ call for RoS to speed up the probe and take action.  These people claimed that the AGM held on December 30 last year was unlawful and violated the party constitution.

Yesterday, former Bersatu Youth committee member Mohamad Taufik Abas said that 1,999 Bersatu members would gather at the RoS headquarters to protest if no action was taken against the party in two weeks.

On whether RoS would be able to complete its investigation in two weeks, Zahid said: “I will leave it to them (RoS). I never get involved in their operational activities”.

He was speaking at a press conference held after the Home Ministry monthly assembly in Putrajaya, today.

Prior to this, Zahid was reported to have said that RoS had received 249 complaints from Bersatu members nationwide, especially on alleged violation by the party’ of its own constitution.

According to him, 47 of the complaints have elements that the party is violating its own constitution, as well as the party’s rules and regulations.

At the media conference, Zahid also hit out at Pakatan Harapan for claiming that the aim of a new law to check fake news was to “cover up truth”.

The formulation of the new law is not intended to cover any truth, he said.

“During the 13th general election, the claims on 40,000 Bangladeshi brought to Malaysia is not fake news? Is that the truth they are going to portray again?

“There will be some fake news in the last minutes campaigning strategy… I am very sure,” he said when commenting on a Pakatan Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s comment that the government should not use the law to cover up the truth.

At today’s assembly, Zahid launched the Home Ministry’s Recruitment Profiling System (Spier) which was developed to identify candidates who meet the key criteria, especially in terms of personality, integrity, mental health, competency and patriotism.

Spier will be used in the recruitment of Home Ministry’s enforcement personnel, like for the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Immigration Department.

Spier is a three-system computerised psychometric test and can also be used in the self-development of an officer.

Spier for the Malaysian Prisons Department, Volunteers Department of Malaysia, National Anti-Drug Agency and the Malaysian Border security Agency is being developed and expected to be fully utilised by next year. – Bernama, January 8, 2018.