RoS constantly keeps watch on NGOs’ activities, says Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR: Associations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are constantly scrutinised by the Registry of Societies (RoS), the Dewan Negara was told yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this was to ensure that there was good governance in the organisations.

While organisations large and small enjoyed a high degree of autonomy in their day-to-day operations, they must be run in accordance with their stated purposes and constitutions.

“Organisations must be run in accordance with the Societies Act 1966 to ensure benign governance. RoS will act against any organisation that deviates from its intended purpose.

“Organisations found to work on purposes other than the ones they had registered for under Section 13 will be deregistered,” he said in reply to Senator Khairul Azwan Harun.

Zahid, who is also home minister, noted that a high-level committee that included RoS, the Registrar of Companies (RoC) and Sports Commissioner’s Office would be set up.

The committee, to be chaired by Zahid, would coordinate the monitoring of NGOs to plug loopholes for malpractice and fraud, given their growth in recent years.

He said there were organisations that identified themselves as NGOs but were, in fact, involved in illegal activities, such as money laundering and organised crime.

There were also associations which were not registered with the RoS, RoC or Sports Commissioner’s Office, he said.

Zahid also said up to this month, only 158 out of 262 consumer associations registered under RoS were active, while 104 had been deregistered.