‘Opposition alliance can register as single party’

(NST) – PUTRAJAYA: Pakatan Rakyat can register as a single party if it wants to, says Election Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar.

In debunking claims that such a move could only be done if the opposition alliance had seven components, he said political parties did not have to meet that criteria.

He gave the example of the Alliance made up of Umno, MCA and MIC as a political grouping that was registered under a single banner.

“Asking them to register was sincere advice from the EC after we faced so many problems with the respective Pakatan components in every by-election.

“The solution for them is simple. Why can’t they just register if they want to go about the way they are doing now.

“There may be some other issues (that has deterred Pakatan from registering) that we do not know of and which they may know better,” he told the New Straits Times.

The Registrar of Societies, when posed with the question of the registration of Pakatan, said: “The question is, have they even attempted to register themselves in the first place?”

Wan Ahmad said so long as Pakatan remained unregistered, the EC was compelled under the Election Offences Act to take action against its parties, which campaigned during by-elections when their members were not candidates.

This, he said included the Bagan Pinang state election where Pakatan fielded Zulkefly who was from Pas.

The EC came under fire from several groups, which questioned the call for registration saying that the law prohibited Pakatan from doing so.

Some even called for the resignation of the top EC officials for the statement.