Party not approved – yet

PETALING JAYA: The Registrar of Societies (RoS) has thrown a spanner into the works before the launch of a new party under the name Parti Amanah Negara on Wednesday.

Even as its self-appointed office bearers were busy planning for the launch, the RoS warned that it was an offence for anyone to organise any programme under the name Parti Amanah Negara.

This was because the application to rename it from Malaysia Workers Party (MWP) had yet to be approved by the registrar.

RoS director-general Datuk Mohammad Razin Abdullah said the office bearers could face a fine of up to RM3,000 each if they continued holding events using the Amanah name as it was an offence under Section 11 of the Registrar Act 1966.

“RoS has received notification by the MWP on the appointment of new central committee members during an emergency congress on Aug 25,” he said yesterday.

“Most of the new central committee members are former PAS members who held posts as central PAS committee members in the 2013-2015 session.

“The party’s application to change its name to Party Amanah Negara has yet to be approved by RoS.

“Therefore, no activities or programmes should be held using the name Parti Amanah Negara.”

Amanah pro-tem secretary-general Anwar Tahir said they did not receive any letter from RoS forbidding them from using the new name.

“However, we will meet up with RoS officers to find out why,” he said.

“Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has not objected to our proposal to use the word Amanah although the name is similar to his non-governmental organisation called Amanah,” Anwar said.

He said the party had followed every procedure required by authorities to have its name changed from MWP.

Earlier, MWP launched its Federal Territories chapter at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman.

When met, its president Mohamad Sabu said any decision would only be made known after the meeting with RoS.

The new party was formed by breakaway PAS members, by taking over MWP, a dormant party set up in 1978.