KUALA LUMPUR – The high court here today gave Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin 14 days to decide on an appeal by a military veteran-based party on its official registration.
According to FMT, lawyer Lim Wei Jiet, who is the legal representative for Parti Kemakmuran Negara, said the party was successful in its application for judicial review against the home minister.
This comes after the party had not received any reply from the Registrar of Societies (RoS) for over six months on its appeal after its application was initially rejected, said Lim.
“In the suit, the founders claimed that such a delay is unreasonable, unlawful and an infringement on the right to form associations under the federal constitution,” said Lim in the statement.
“The court ordered the minister to decide on the appeal within 14 days,” he added.
The party had first applied to the RoS on March 9, 2021, and its application was initially rejected on March 16, 2022. The party then filed an appeal to the home minister on March 25, 2022.
The party is led by Brig-Gen (R) Datuk Abdullah Mohamed while other founders consist of former servicemen from the army, navy, and air force.
The party is open to Malaysians of all races and not limited to armed forces veterans.
Lim also told the news portal that it was “undemocratic, unfair, and unreasonable” for the home minister to delay the appeal process of those who want to form a political party.
“My clients are veterans who have sacrificed and spent much of their lives for the security of this country, and some of them have been serving since the communist insurgency.
“To force them to wait and to go up and down the courts at their age is to show disrespect for these warriors who have served the nation for 30, 40 years,” he was quoted as saying. – The Vibes, September 21, 2022
