Home Ministry declares SAPA an illegal organisation

KUCHING, Nov 15,2014: The Home Ministry has gazetted Sarawak Association for People's Aspiration (SAPA) as an illegal organisation for contravening section 5(1) of the Societies Act 1966,.

The ministry issued the gazettification notice N Pewartaan (P.U.(A) 307/2014 yesterday.

The ministry secretary general Mohamad Khalid Shariff in a statement today said SAPA has been organising activities which posed a threat to  national security and public safety.

"Section 5 of the Societies Act (Act 335) gives power to the minister to declare an organisation as contravening the laws,"  Khalid said.

He said the minister, in accordance with his discretion, can declare an organisation or its branches as against the law if it is within his views that such organisation is a threat to national security and public safety.

He said with the declaration, SAPA or its officers or agents can no longer use the name, its symbol, logo as a legal organisation, in accordance with section 7(3)(b) of the Societies Act.

Khalid said no person can hold any office bearers of the association or using it to organise activities and if they are found to have done so, they can be investigated and charged in court.

He said all assets, properties and accounts of SAPA would be handed over to the Insolvency Department for further action.

Khalid members of the public to furnish information to curb SAPA's activities.

SAPA was approved and registered by the ROS in November 2013 and has been carrying out its activities and it raised its profile with its U.N. Petition which was lodged with the United Nations Kuala Lumpur office in August 2014.

Over 20,000 signature has been collected in Sabah and Sarawak.

Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian had recently openly accused SAPA activities as “secessionist”.

SAPA president Lina Soo condemned Baru's action as irresponsible and mischievous with ill intent to get SAPA into trouble and had demanded an apology from him.

In statement today, Soo said SAPA has always carried out its activities within its Constitution and has never advocated secession which is not in our dictionary.

She said she was very disappointed that some Sarawakians had been reduced to the level of supporting the foreign domination and exploitation of Sarawak instead of promoting Sarawakians' rights and interests.