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KUALA LUMPUR – Perikatan Nasional (PN) was not granted an interim stay against a notice issued by the Registrar of Societies Malaysia (RoS) suspending the coalition’s activities, pending a hearing of its application to challenge the notice.
Judge Datuk Azizan Md Arshad set Oct 22 for the hearing of PN’s application for an inter partes stay of the suspension notice.
The court also granted PN leave to initiate judicial review proceedings to challenge the notice.
The decisions followed submissions by lawyer Ivanpal Singh Grewal, representing PN, and Senior Federal Counsel Nurhaffiza Azizan, representing the respondents.
The application was filed by five leaders of PN component parties, led by PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan as the first applicant.
The other applicants were Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) secretary-general Wong Chia Zhen, Malaysian Indian People's Party secretary-general N Sathes Kumar, Parti Wawasan Negara secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah and Parti Pejuang Tanahair secretary-general Datuk Sazmi Miah.
In its application, PN argued that failure to stay or quash the notice before nomination day would jeopardise its participation in the 16th Melaka state election.
In a certificate of urgency filed alongside the application, the coalition said the notice prevented it from carrying out its political activities as usual, including authorising candidates to contest under the PN name and logo.
PN argued that any court ruling delivered after nomination day would come too late, as the opportunity to field candidates under the coalition’s name and logo could not be restored.
The coalition also informed the court that the Election Commission was scheduled to meet on Wednesday to determine the dates for the issuance of the election writ, nomination day and polling for the Melaka state election.
PN further argued that if the suspension remained in force until nomination day, no authorised officer would be able to sign the necessary documents to enable candidates to contest under the coalition’s name and logo.
