“PN is back!”
That was Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan’s jubilant declaration after the High Court granted the coalition a stay on its suspension and deregistration by the Registrar of Societies (RoS).
The ruling came just nine days before nomination day for the Melaka state election, allowing PN to resume its political activities and prepare to contest under its own name and logo, according to its lawyers.
Speaking at a press conference after the hearing, Takiyuddin thanked the coalition’s legal team, led by former Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun, for securing the decision.
“I don’t want to say too much. I just want to say two things. PN is back! PN is back!” he said.
Also present were Wawasan Negara president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai, Malaysian Indian People’s Party president P. Punithan, Pejuang president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim.
Lawyer Rafique Rashid Ali, who was part of PN’s legal team, said the stay covered both the suspension and deregistration orders issued by RoS, allowing the coalition to resume its usual political activities, including contesting the Melaka election.
“In simple terms, it means maintaining the status quo.
“We can contest, we can use the logo and we can continue all our activities, including in Melaka and later in Sarawak,” he said.
However, Rafique stressed that the ruling did not determine whether RoS had acted lawfully in suspending and deregistering PN. Those issues will be decided during the substantive hearing of the coalition’s judicial review application.
He added that the dispute extended beyond PN’s political survival, involving the interests of voters and elected representatives.
Earlier, High Court judge Datuk Azizan Md Arshad granted PN’s application for a stay pending the disposal of its judicial review, citing exceptional circumstances that warranted interim relief.
The judge also ruled that RoS’ cancellation of PN’s registration on Oct 20 did not automatically render the stay application academic.
The court, however, made no determination on the legality of RoS’ decisions, leaving that question to be resolved in the substantive judicial review proceedings.
