RoS: 10-week notice not required for DAP special congress
KUALA LUMPUR: The requirement of sending a 10-week notice to hold a party election is not an issue in DAP’s upcoming central executive committee (CEC) reelection, Registry of Societies (Ros) director-general Datuk Mohammad Razin Abdullah said.
He said unlike a national congress, a special congress did not require the same period of notice.
“It’s not an issue for RoS. The DAP is not holding a national congress, so there’s no need to give a 10-week notice. We (RoS) did not ask DAP to hold a nationwide party election. This is just for the CEC,” he said.
On Monday, former Bagan Luar DAP chairman G. Asoghan questioned DAP’s failure to provide a 10-week notice to notify its members of the CEC re-election, which he said was demanded under the party’s constitution.
However, DAP legal bureau chief Gobind Singh Deo pointed out that the party’s constitution stated that it required no less than seven days’ notice only for a special congress to be held.
Gobind also said RoS was aware that the CEC re-election would be held through a special congress, adding that RoS had asked the party to provide a 14day notice.
“The 10-week notice applies in the case of a party national congress. We are holding a special congress for the re-election. Clause 8 of the constitution is clear. It says notice to summon a special congress needs to be sent out no less than seven days before the date fixed for the special congress, which is Nov 12, 2017.”
In 2013, RoS had ordered the first re-election of DAP’s CEC after detecting irregularities and manipulation of votes in its initial election in December 2012.
In July, RoS ordered DAP to hold a second re-election for the CEC, which was supposed to be based on the list of delegates entitled to vote in the 2012 election.
RoS, on Oct 7, agreed to the appointment of independent United States audit firm Grant Thornton to monitor and conduct the re-election.
“Previously, it was PKF Consulting that audited DAP’s last CEC and there were problems. This is why RoS asked DAP for an alternative,” said Razin.
“They chose Grant Thornton and we have no problem as long as it’s an independent firm.”