SHAH ALAM – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said his party Pejuang already has a backup plan in place should its registration with the Registrar of Societies be blocked.
“This is not the first time that a party is struggling to register with the RoS, as Bersatu faced a similar situation prior to the 2018 elections,” he said.
The party pro-tem chairman however did not elaborate on the matter, merely saying that things are being handled ahead of the coming general election.
“We have a plan B, but the plan is secret, I can’t tell you,” he told a press conference after attending a Selangor Pejuang event here today.
“But as you know, the government also decided previously to erase Bersatu’s registration and refused to register Pakatan Harapan. Even then we were able to overcome and win the election.
“Believe us, we (Pejuang) know how to do things,” he added.
Mahathir’s son Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir had said last week that should Pejuang fail to be registered in time for the next election, the party would contest under a different ticket, such as Warisan.
Earlier in his speech, Mukhriz urged all members to remain calm as the party works to get itself registered, with a court decision on the matter set for January 7, 2021.
“We have fulfilled all the requirements, so I find it strange that RoS is still not approving our registration.
“We will find out on January 7 if our registration is approved or rejected. If approved, then alhamdulillah. If not, then we will have to ask why. As such, I ask that we all remain patient,” he said.
Mukhriz said that in the meantime, the RoS has agreed to allow the party to form a non-governmental organisation by the name of Gerak Khidmat Rakyat Malaysia for its members to do groundwork while waiting for the decision.
Meanwhile, on the government’s non-disclosure agreement with vaccine makers which prevents the disclosure of the prices, Mahathir said this is unacceptable.
“Everything should be done openly. Yes, there is an NDA, but we cannot accept that it is being done in secret.
“The people need to know whatever is happening with the government, especially when it concerns a lot of money,” he said. – The Vibes, December 31, 2020
