Pakatan Rakyat can register as a coalition

(Bernama) – The opposition parties are eligible to register as a coalition as the requirement of having at least seven component parties does not apply to them, said Registrar of Societies (ROS) director-general Md Alias Kalil.

“The condition does not apply to political parties as they enjoy a national status. Only state-level organisation aspiring to become a national entity needs to have seven members from the states,” he said when contacted by Bernama.

He was commenting on a call by the Election Commission (EC) that opposition parties register Pakatan Rakyat as a legal entity like Barisan Nasional to enable them to campaign as a coalition and put up their parties’ flags.

Md Alias brushed aside a claim by the opposition that ROS’ conditions were rigid and as such it was difficult to formalise the alliance.

“There are normal conditions, which should be adhered to, such as they must have a constitution like that of BN.

“This is not a big issue and until today, we have not received any applications from them,” he said.

The opposition is made up of PKR, DAP and PAS.