Gobind to EC: Respect the due process of the court

GEORGE TOWN: The Election Commision (EC) may have acted prematurely in determining that the photographs of the Pakatan Harapan chairperson Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed may not be used for the coming general election, says the DAP Legal Bureau head Gobind Singh Deo.
The matter of validity cannot be determined as the issue was still in the court, said Gobind.
Rather, the High Court in Kuala Lumpur is expected to deliberate on the issue on Thursday so the EC should halt issuing any directives on the matter, said Gobind.
"This EC decision is also up for a challenge for we will not take it lightly. We might succeed at the High Court where the hearing is to deliberate on our case."
Gobind has filed an appeal on behalf of the Opposition to the High Court to compel the Registrar of Societies (RoS) to allow for Pakatan to be registered as a political coalition.
He added that EC may have erred in making a decision without considering the legal implications of the appeal which the court has yet to dispose of.
"How come the EC made a decision without considering the court hearing? We need to respect the due process of the court and wait as well as abide by its decision."
Pakatan has filed a suit against the registrar on Feb 21 concerning the registration of their body.
It was reported that the RoS director - general Surayati Ibrahim had cited that the proposed coalition could not be formed because Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) has not fully complied with surrendering the documents which the registrar had demanded under Section 14 (2) of the Societies Act 1966.
Earlier, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng who sits in the Pakatan leadership council said that it was proposed that PPBM and Parti Amanah Nasional have agreed to contest under the PKR logo and banner if Pakatan cannot be registered.
As for DAP, Lim said that the party has yet to decide on the matter.