THE REGISTRAR OF SOCIETIES (ROS) SHOULD INVESTIGATE OF ELECTION IRREGULARITIES

BY: AZMIE AZMAN

SANDAKAN:  The Registrar of Societies (RoS) should investigate the complaints of election irregularities in the 2013 LDP party election.

“RoS should not practice double standard when it comes to investigating political parties’ election irregularities,” Michael David Tsen, the LDP Sekong division chairman in Datuk Liew Vui Keong’s faction said on Wednesday.

It is not fair for RoS to handle the issues with such contradicting approach. We have seen that they did one thing in DAP while acting differently in both LDP and MIC leadership disputes, Tsen said.

Tsen said he agreed with former LDP Sandakan Youth chief David Fong’s statement urging the RoS not to practice double standard in dealing with the issues.

 

In LDP’s case, we know that Datuk Teo Chee Kang had been sacked as the Secretary General by Datuk Liew when he was the legitimate President of LDP, Tsen said.

“So how can Teo continue to be the Secretary General and organized a party election in which he declared himself as the only candidate vying for the presidency post and later declared himself as the winner and the party president of LDP,” Tsen asked.

He added that RoS should not have accepted Teo as the winner as there were complaints of the irregularities and also phantom party voters in which police report was also made on the matter.

“Datuk VK Liew went to Court to ask the Court to review the RoS decision but the Court held that RoS did not make a decision and hence the decision if any is not subject to judicial review,” Tsen said.

Tsen said the Court’s decision did not address the issue on Teo’s legitimacy as LDP president but merely rejected it on technical ground.

“We look at Teo as the appointed president of LDP by RoS. He has never get the full support from all division members in the party,” Tsen said.

Tsen called on Teo to call for party election next year and allow everyone to contest including the presidency post, to prove that he has the full support of party members.

“If he wins in an open and transparent party election, then he has the honour and pride to carry on as party president until the next General Election.  This will also end the leadership dispute and save his face,” Tsen said.

According to Tsen, presently Teo is a party president that does not command the full support and respect of party members.

Former LDP Sandakan Youth chief David Fong had on Monday called on the RoS to investigate complaints of irregularities in the 2013 LDP party election.