Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today declared
that his ministry will not allow anti-racism NGO Negara-Ku to register
as an organisation under its current name.
Ahmad Zahid said the movement led by former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan and national laureate A Samad Said has yet to apply for registration with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).
"Even
if it were to apply for registration with the Registrar of Societies
(ROS), the name Negara-Ku is not suitable because it belongs to
Malaysia.
"Negara-Ku refers to the song Negaraku which is recognised as the national anthem under Section 2 of the National Anthem Act 1968.
"It can cause confusion among the public, and in line with Section 7(3)(d)(i) and (iii) of the Societies Act 1966, it should not be registered," he said in a statement posted on the Home Ministry's official Facebook page today.
Section 7(3)(d)(i) of the Act allows the ROS to refuse registration of any organisation whose name appears to mislead or deceive the public to the true character and purpose of a society, while Section 7(3)(d)(iii) allows for the same to apply if the ROS finds the name to be "undesirable".
Ahmad Zahid maintained that any organisation intending to conduct its activities legally in the country must be registered under the Socieities Act 1966.
"The government would like to stress that an organisation that conducts its activities without being registered under the Societies Act 1966 is an illegal organisation," he said.
Earlier
this month national laureate A Samad Said and former Malaysian Bar
president Ambiga Sreenevasan formed a new NGO to battle racism and
extremism in the nation, called Negara-Ku (my country).
Previously, both led the Bersih movement for clean and fair elections, which like Negara-Ku, comprised a coalition of NGOs.
In the case of Bersih, even though it was not registered, its member organisations were.
Despite this, the government in 2011 declared Bersih an illegal organisation.
However, the Kuala Lumpur High Court overturned the declaration the following year, stating that the government decision was "tainted with irrationality".
Ahmad Zahid said the movement led by former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan and national laureate A Samad Said has yet to apply for registration with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).
"Even
if it were to apply for registration with the Registrar of Societies
(ROS), the name Negara-Ku is not suitable because it belongs to
Malaysia."Negara-Ku refers to the song Negaraku which is recognised as the national anthem under Section 2 of the National Anthem Act 1968.
"It can cause confusion among the public, and in line with Section 7(3)(d)(i) and (iii) of the Societies Act 1966, it should not be registered," he said in a statement posted on the Home Ministry's official Facebook page today.
Section 7(3)(d)(i) of the Act allows the ROS to refuse registration of any organisation whose name appears to mislead or deceive the public to the true character and purpose of a society, while Section 7(3)(d)(iii) allows for the same to apply if the ROS finds the name to be "undesirable".
Ahmad Zahid maintained that any organisation intending to conduct its activities legally in the country must be registered under the Socieities Act 1966.
"The government would like to stress that an organisation that conducts its activities without being registered under the Societies Act 1966 is an illegal organisation," he said.
Earlier
this month national laureate A Samad Said and former Malaysian Bar
president Ambiga Sreenevasan formed a new NGO to battle racism and
extremism in the nation, called Negara-Ku (my country).Previously, both led the Bersih movement for clean and fair elections, which like Negara-Ku, comprised a coalition of NGOs.
In the case of Bersih, even though it was not registered, its member organisations were.
Despite this, the government in 2011 declared Bersih an illegal organisation.
However, the Kuala Lumpur High Court overturned the declaration the following year, stating that the government decision was "tainted with irrationality".
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