PETALING JAYA, Sept 6 — Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia continued its offensive against the DAP over its re-election saga today, accusing the political party of ignoring its own rules in the timing of the fresh polls ordered by the Registrar of Societies (RoS).
In an editorial piece today, the Malay language newspaper alleged that clause 8 in article 6 of party’s constitution requires a 10-week notice period to branch secretaries before a congress, where the election will be conducted, may be held.
“The question that arises now is, why are secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Anthony Loke, who is now appointed as the chairman of the CEC Special Selection Committee, not following what is stated in the constitution and making decisions without referring to it?
“What is the exact date for DAP’s CEC re-election? Is DAP using the basis of its constitution or merely being ‘dramatic’ again? Also, has the party’s constitution has been forgotten?” it added.
But the Seremban MP today rebutted the newspaper’s allegations, saying the 10-week period did not apply in the present circumstances.
“That’s for normal Party Congress. We are holding a Special Congress like an EGM (extraordinary general meeting) now,” he said in a text message to The Malay Mail Online.
Yesterday the lawmaker said the notice of the re-election will be delivered to the RoS, and mailed to all 3,561 party delegates eligible to vote.
On January 4, it was revealed that an internal audit showed errors in the tabulation of votes from the December 15, 2012 party elections that he said were caused by a technical glitch when the results were transferred to a computer using the Microsoft Excel programme.
The amendments resulted in Lim’s political secretary, Zairil Khir Johari, moving up from 39th position to 20th ― the last elected position in the party’s CEC.
Following complaints by some members, the RoS began investigations and subsequently ordered the party to redo its elections after saying it was not satisfied with the explanation given.
After prolonged public wrangling the Registrar, the party last month finally gave up its fight and agreed to hold the fresh election as directed.
