Pakatan to register as a coalition: Kit Siang

(The Star) - The Pakatan Rakyat, comprising the DAP, PAS and PKR, will seek to register itself as a coalition party, DAP adviser and Ipoh Timor Member of Parliament Lim Kit Siang said.

The alliance will seek registration under the Societies Act 1966, he said, adding that the Registrar of Societies Datuk Md Alias Kalil has now taken the stand that the law requiring at least seven parties to register as a society does not apply to political parties.

Section 2 of the Societies Act 1966 defines “society” as including “any club, company, partnership, or association of seven or more persons whatever its nature or object, whether temporary or permanent, but does not include:

(a) any company registered under the provisions of any written law relating to companies for the time being in force in Malaysia;

(b) any company or association constituted under any written law;

(c) any trade union registered or required to be registered under the provisions of any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Malaysia;

(d) any company, association or partnership formed for the sole purpose of carrying on any lawful business that has for its object the acquisition of gain by the company, association or partnership, or by the individual members thereof.

This has been interpreted as requiring any coalition of political parties to have at least seven constituent political parties to be registered under the Societies Act, Lim said in a statement on Friday.

“However, as the Registrar of Societies has now taken the position that a coalition of political parties does not fall under this provision, Pakatan Rakyat will seek registration as a coalition under the Societies Act,” he said.

The issue came to light recently when the DAP and PKR were not allowed to put up campaign posters for the upcoming Bagan Pinang by-election because they had no candidate contesting.

Component parties of the Barisan Nasional, which is a registered coalition, was allowed to do so.

The Election Commission was quoted as saying that Pakatan component parties could only do so if the alliance was registered as a coalition.