PUTRAJAYA, July 17 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin said today he was not aware that the Registrar of Societies (RoS) has summoned PKR over complaints received regarding its internal polls.
Instead, he maintained that the agency under his ministry operated independently.
“Did they? If it’s true then it’s news to me,” he told reporters here
“As I said before, we at KDN (Home Ministry) are just overseers. What they decide it’s their authority,” he added.
Outgoing PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said this morning that the RoS has written officially to the party seeking an explanation for the various complaints about its recent internal polls.
Saifuddin said he and the party’s lawyers had been in discussions since 8am today after receiving the letter.
He said that he was concerned PKR might get in trouble with the RoS — similar to what happened to DAP in 2013 and MIC in 2015 — and he would ensure that his final task as secretary-general would be to defend the party.
Hamzah was previously forced to deny allegations that he could influence the RoS to force Umno to hold its party elections as the home minister.
Umno held an extraordinary general meeting in May to amend its constitution so that its elections must be held only after a national polls have been concluded. The amendment awaiting the approval of the RoS.
There is speculation that the regulator would declare the amendment illegal and force Umno to hold its elections this year. Should that happen, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi could face a challenge for the position..
Hamzah’s party Bersatu is rumoured to favour a takeover to remove factions within Umno hostile to any prospect of the two cooperating.
The minister said on Wednesday that RoS will make its decision independently regarding Umno’s application to amend the party’s constitution. The regulator had previously said it would announce its verdict on July 16 “the latest”.
