Malaysia’s Registrar of Societies cancelled opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional’s registration on October 20 after rejecting its explanation of a dispute between member parties, and the coalition vowed to challenge the decision weeks before Melaka’s November 14 state election.
The regulator said the coalition’s October 12 response did not overcome the reasons for cancellation set out in a notice issued on September 22. The dispute centers on a complaint by coalition member Bersatu. Bersatu said it was left out of a Perikatan supreme council meeting on July 16.
Bersatu said this breached the coalition’s constitution. The RoS said it reviewed the coalition’s response and found it insufficient to justify keeping its registration. Perikatan secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the coalition would challenge the cancellation.
He said it would ask a court to temporarily stop the decision. A hearing on a related request to suspend an earlier order freezing the coalition’s activities is scheduled for October 22. If the deregistration remains in force, the coalition’s parties may be unable to run in the election under a shared coalition name.
That could make preparations harder for Melaka, where candidate nominations are set for October 31. Tensions are also growing between Bersatu and fellow major member PAS. The two parties have been competing for influence in the coalition.
As of October 21, Parliament’s speaker said he had not decided how Perikatan MPs would be identified in the House. He said he was waiting for an explanation from the coalition.