DAP and Malaysians are entitled to know the reasons why and under what powers the Registrar of Societies is directing the DAP to hold re-election of its Central Executive Committee (CEC), which was elected in the DAP Party Congress in Penang last December.
Is the Registrar of Societies (RoS) Director-General Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman directing the DAP to hold a re-election of its CEC because 753 DAP delegates had been denied their right to attend the DAP Congress in Penang last December, and if so, let him state it clearly so that the DAP can pin down and expose the lie.
For the past six months, the Umno/Barisan Nasional “war room” had invested vast resources, personnel and tens of millions of ringgit in a two-prong strategy to “demonise and destroy” DAP (the “DDD” campaign), namely spread the lie about the DAP funding the “Red Bean Army” with 3,000 cybertroopers and a budget from RM100 million to RM1 billion in the past six years to character-assassinate Umno/BN leaders; and secondly, to keep alive the canard about frauds in the DAP Congress CEC elections last December.
Both before and after the 13th general elections on May 5, 2013, there was a sustained campaign by UMNO/BN operatives for action by the RoS against the DAP, from demand for invalidation of the CEC polls to deregistration of DAP on grounds of irregularities, improprieties and frauds in the CEC election last December.
One main ground for such demand is the allegation that 753 DAP delegates had not been notified of the DAP Congress last December as required by the party constitution and that they had therefore been denied their right to attend the congress and vote for the CEC.
In fact, the “753” issue was also used to accuse the DAP of being anti-Indian on the ground that the overwhelming majority of the “753” delegates were Indians and this was why they were discriminated against and denied the right to attend the Congress and vote in the CEC elections.
Both allegations were downright lies. A 71 per cent delegate attendance of the Party Congress (quorum is 25 per cent of the entitled delegates) out of a total of 2,576 delegates is a high attendance record and it is most dishonest for anyone to allege that the absentee delegates are caused by a conspiracy not to give proper notification – for on this ground, the legality and legitimacy of conferences of every political party or society can be called into question.
In actual fact, the DAP had co-operated with the Registrar of Societies and provided proof that the prerequisite Congress notifications had been given to all the delegates as required by the party constitution, and Indian delegates who were absent were some 100 and not over 700 as made out by the Umno/BN propagandists/detractors.
The second lie which had featured prominently in the Umno/BN campaign alleging fraud in the DAP CEC elections last December is the wild allegation of phantom delegates, varying initially from 300 and later to the mythical of 547 “phantom” delegates – which is another downright falsehood.
Has the RoS Director-General given any credence to the downright lie of the alleged 547 “phantom delegates” at the DAP Congress in Penang in December?
If so, let the DAP know!
This is why DAP and Malaysians are entitled to know what were the reasons and the powers for the RoS Director-General to direct DAP to hold CEC re-election.
Minus these two lies, the RoS is left with the original computer glitch at the DAP Congress, where there was no mistake either in vote counting or tabulation but only in posting the results, leading to one candidate Vincent Wu wrongly announced as a successful candidate when it should be Zairil Khir Johari.
This mistake had been duly rectified. DAP had fully explained this honest mistake to the officials from the Registrar of Societies, furnishing all relevant documents and materials.
What then is the basis for the RoS Director-General to direct a CEC re-election?
The RoS Director-General owes to the DAP in particular and the country in general an answer as to the grounds on which he is not satisfied with the clarifications which have been given by the DAP and the powers under which he is acting to direct a CEC re-election.