See-To said PPBM and PH stand to be the biggest beneficiaries of the registrar’s decision.
He said the opposition parties could now “play the victim” and blame Prime Minister Najib Razak and BN for their situation, with a general election expected soon.
“Because PPBM has never had the intention to use their logo for the general election, if RoS threatens to deregister their party due to their own failings and lack of funding the biggest beneficiaries will be PPBM and PH,” he said in a statement today.
See-To, who is deputy director of BN strategic communications, said PPBM’s troubles with RoS had been known for months, with its own members complaining about lack of organisation and funding.
He said the members were not even sure if the women’s wing was valid or not, or who its head was.
The registrar’s decision will lead to PPBM election candidates contesting under another party’s symbol. PH has said that the coalition will announce their common logo tomorrow.
“Even if RoS allows PPBM to use their logo in the elections, PPBM will not use it,” See-To said. “It has always been PPBM and PH’s intention to use one common logo for elections.”
He said the logos of PPBM and PH ally Amanah were new and far less known than those of DAP and PKR.
PPBM was formed as an Umno splinter in September 2016 while Amanah, an offshoot of PAS, was founded in September 2015.
“To register PPBM candidates under the PKR or DAP logo will take less than one day,” See-To said.
The RoS today slapped a “provisional dissolution” on PPBM, citing the party’s failure to furnish documents and details within the stipulated period.
RoS had sent a notice to PPBM on Feb 28 to provide a report on minutes of meetings of its divisions and branches, as well as the party’s financial report, within 30 days or face the risk of de-registration.
Prior to that, on March 16, PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin had said the party would not be able to furnish the documents before the deadline given.
He said RoS had only approved the setting up of the divisions last July, adding that no organisation could hold an AGM in less than a year of its establishment.
The chairman of PH and PPBM, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said today that the coalition parties had decided on a common logo for the elections, to be revealed at a rally in Johor tomorrow.
There has been speculation that all PH candidates will contest using the PKR logo.
PPBM deregistration: Gobind mulls citing RoS for contempt of court