KUALA LUMPUR – The Registrar of Societies (RoS) has launched an appeal against a High Court decision that temporarily halted enforcement of its suspension notice against Perikatan Nasional (PN), firing a fresh salvo in the high-stakes legal battle over the coalition’s survival.
The notice of appeal was filed at the Court of Appeal today by Federal Counsel representing RoS Director-General Datuk Mohd Zulfikar Ahmad and Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The appeal comes on the heels of a ruling yesterday by High Court judge Datuk Azizan Md Arshad, which granted PN a stay against the RoS suspension notice pending full hearing of its judicial review.
That court victory had effectively cleared the runway for PN to field candidates under its own name and symbol for the Melaka state election scheduled for November 14.
PN’s legal counsel, Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, confirmed the government’s filing of the notice of appeal today.
Background of the deregistration dispute
The legal drama escalated on September 22 when RoS issued a notice under Subsection 13(2A) of the Societies Act 1966, formally suspending all PN activities starting September 23.
In response, PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan alongside party leaders from component members—including Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan), Malaysian Indian People Party (MIPP), Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan), and Parti Pejuang Tanahair (Pejuang)—filed for judicial review on October 5 seeking a certiorari order to quash both the suspension and proposed deregistration.
While the High Court initially dismissed PN’s application for an interim stay on October 13, it granted leave for the judicial review to proceed before ultimately granting the stay yesterday.
Despite the ongoing court proceedings, the RoS formally deregistered PN on October 20 under subparagraph 13(1)(c)(iv) of the Societies Act 1966, claiming the coalition’s explanation failed to address the statutory grounds outlined in the initial notice.
With the government now appealing the High Court stay, PN’s legal status ahead of nomination day for the Melaka polls hangs in the balance once again. – October 23, 2026