Thursday 23 February 2012

Don't be unduly worried, SNAP members told

Kuching, Feb 22, 2012: Sarawak National Party (SNAP) has dismissed talks that something is not right with its triennial delegates conference (TDC) last month following the decision by the Registrar of Societies to file an appeal with the Federal Court.
The apex court yesterday granted leave to the ROS to appeal against Court of Appeal’s judgment to quash the deregistration order against SNAP for breaching its own constitution during a prolonged leadership crisis on Nov 5, 2002.
The Court Appeal had on June 23, 2010 allowed the appeal brought by SNAP’s then deputy president Datuk Justin Jinggut to set aside the High Court’s dismissal of his judicial review bid to quash the ROS’s decision to de-register the party.\
SNAP secretary general Frankie Jurem Nyumboi explained today that the Federal Court’s decision has nothing to with the TDC held on Jan 15 this year, during which a new office bearers were elected.
“Our TDC was legally and properly held and we have submitted our minutes of meeting to the ROS three days ago.
“Before we have our TDC, we have consulted the ROS on the legal procedures,” Jurem stressed, adding that some disgruntled party members were spreading words around that the Federal Court’s decision had something to do with the TDC.
He said the party headquarters had received numerous calls from concerned party members on the latest development.
“Let me assure them that there is nothing to be worried about. The appeal by the ROS is on a technical matter which the Court of Appeal had decided when quashing the ROS order to deregister the party,” he said, adding that the ROS has every right to appeal if it is not happy with the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
He said that the ROS had filed long before the party’s TDC.
“In the meantime, we have to wait for the outcome of the ROS appeal to the Federal Court,” he said, adding that it is normal for any party to go to the highest court in the country if they are not happy with the decisions of the lower courts.
He said the party will function as normal because it is a legally instituted body.
Ends