Court allows Pakatan’s bid to compel RoS’ decision on its registration

KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — The High Court today has granted its permission to Pakatan Harapan (PH) to challenge the Registrar of Society (RoS) in a bid to register the Opposition pact.

Lawyers Gobind Singh Deo and Hanif Khatri Abdullah told reporters that the court has given the go-ahead to apply for two mandamus orders which will compel the RoS to either make its decision or respond to the pact’s application dated July 28, 2017.

“The first mandamus order would compel RoS to make a decision pursuant to our registration application dated July 28 last year.

“As an alternative, another mandamus order is for the RoS to reply to our application,” Gobind told reporters outside of the court here.

A mandamus order is a judicial written command, among others to directed public authority, ordering the latter to perform its public duty.

The decision was made by Justice Datuk Azizah Nawawi in her chambers today.

Gobind said the court has set March 15 for case management date, when representatives of the RoS are expected to be present.

PH would then apply for an early hearing date in conjunction with the upcoming general elections.

“If the RoS has reasons why it has not registered Pakatan Harapan and the party has taken steps to resolve that reasons, the party has the rights for a legitimate expectation that an answer to the application would ensue.

“We will ask for a hearing date to be fixed soon so we can move forward in preparation for the elections,” he said.

He added there were two objections by the Attorney-General’s Chambers, represented by  senior federal lawyer Suzana Atan, regarding PH’s civil suit but they were rectified after oral amendments were made.

On February 22, the Opposition pact has filed a civil suit to compel the courts to instruct the RoS to respond to the coalition’s registration application.

The legal application was undersigned by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia secretary-general Shahruddin Md Salleh, Pakatan Harapan chief secretary Saifuddin Abdullah, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, and Parti Amanah Negara deputy secretary-general Abang Ahmad Kerdee Abang Masagus.

According to a News Straits Times report the following day, the RoS director-general Surayati Ibrahim said it was unfazed by PH’s legal action and told the latter that roping the courts into the matter would only delay the registration process further.