(left to right) Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, Puchong MP Gobind Singh and DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang

The High Court today fixed July 9 for a decision on whether the Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) central executive committee (CEC) can strike out a civil suit to declare its 2013 re-election null and void.

The suit, filed by four DAP members, had sought a court declaration that the results of the CEC re-election is void, and to force the DAP to hold fresh elections.

Members Tay Kok Beng, Tan Kim Seng, Law Theng Hooi and Wong Yu Liuh in their suit have disputed the veracity of the list of delegates who voted during the re-elections on Sept 29, 2013.

Among their complaints were that the same list of eligible delegates had been used in the 2012 CEC election as the 2013 re-election.

“The number of delegates eligible to vote in the CEC re-election in September 2013 have increased, if delegates from 120 branches who had not been eligible in the December 2012 elections had been taken into consideration,” they claimed.

The September 2013 CEC re-elections had taken place when the December 2012 CEC polls were declared null and void by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) after irregularities were found. It was later clarified that the irregularities had been due to a computing error.

Counsel Gobind Singh, who is also Puchong MP, told the press that the DAP CEC is taking a position to strike out the suit under Sections 16 and 18(c) of the Societies Act.

“We are striking out their suit on grounds that this is a dispute which is under Section 18(c) and Section 16 of the Act, where if an issue arises as to a dispute between members in politicial party which relates to the identity of the office bearers, then the matter should be brought to the RoS,” he said.

He added that there is a complaint which was filed to the RoS which is still under investigation, and as such the suit is an abuse of the process of the court.

– The Rocket