Vui Keong continuing legal challenge against ROS ruling

KOTA KINABALU: Former Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong is continuing his legal challenge against a Registrar of Society’s (ROS) ruling resulting in him no longer heading the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

A day after the Court of Appeal affirmed the High Court’s dismissal of his bid for leave for a judicial review to revoke the ROS decision; Liew said he was pursuing the matter to the Federal Court.

He said the legal challenge had gone beyond the question of his political position but rather as a matter of public interest.

“The rulings of the courts so far on this case could be interpreted that any decision of a government department or agency cannot be questioned,” he said on Saturday.

"My lawyers advised me that there are many questions of law that have arisen following the Court of Appeal decision, especially pertaining to the power and rights of ROS," Liew said.

"I strongly believe that public interests are at stake if the questions of law are not determined by the apex court of the country.

“Otherwise, it will set bad precedent,” he added.

On Feb 17 the High Court dismissed Liew’s application to the courts to enable to file a judicial review over a ROS’ letter on Jan 7 stating that the election of Datuk Teo Chee Kang of LDP president and Datuk Chin Su Phin in an extra-ordinary general meeting in October 2013 was valid.

Court of Appeal judges Datuk Abdul Aziz Abd Rahim, Datuk Rohana Yusuf and Datuk Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim on Friday upheld the High Court’s decision.

The court held that the ROS’ letter was not a decision per se but rather an administrative matter.

As such, the court held that such administrative matters were not subject to a judicial review.

Liew, represented by counsel Datuk Rakbir Singh, had named the RoS, Teo and Chin as the first, second and third respondents.

The ROS was represented at the hearing by Senior Federal Counsel Rahazlan Affandi Abd Rahim while counsels Datuk Roderic Fernandez and Alvin Leong acted for Teo and Chin respectively.