Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) is still a valid registered party with sound political aims, its president Hassan Karim told the party's 38th national congress over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur.

He also stressed that the party had not merged with Keadilan to form the currently existing Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

The existing PRM group had rejected the merger proposal in 2003. PRM's former president Dr Syed Husin Ali is now the PKR deputy president and many of the party's top leaders have also crossed over.

Hassan told the 150-strong crowd at the congress that the party will continue to fight for social justice, fair distribution of powers, national unity and true democracy as it has done for 51 years.

"We are still a registered legal and political entity. We have never dissolved and we have never merged with Keadilan. This is something we want the public to know," he said.

Hassan said former leaders of the party who left PRM to join PKR are still holding documents vital to the party. He added that attempts to obtain the party papers from them have been futile so far.

"We are now fulfilling the requirement by the ROS (Registrar of Societies) by holding our national congress to say we are still active and independent of any association with PKR. We are still waiting for the handover of documents from the former leaders," he said.

Court case

Contacted later regarding the merger, Hassan said both parties had not gone through the official procedures of dissolution and membership votes.

"It was agreed in the the merger talks that PRM and Keadilan will dissolve to form PKR. However, Keadilan had it's own emergency general meeting without PRM present to discuss dissolution matters.

"Had the merger been successful, PRM would still stand its ground. It was a promise to the members that we will maintain PRM's existence," he said.

However, its former secretary-general Dr Sanusi Osman with eight other ex-leaders are applying for a judicial review asking the ROS to derecognise PRM's status as a registered party.

Pressed for comments on this, Hassan said he did not raise the issue at the congress because it would be sub judice.

"The reason why they are asking for a judicial review is because they promised PKR that PRM would be dissolved after the 'merger'. But what about their promise to PRM members? By right they are no longer PRM members, they have no locus standi to challenge the status of PRM," he said.

PRM has been granted leave by the Kuala Lumpur High Court to attend the hearing scheduled for Oct 9 this years as an intervening third party.