The Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (SCAH) today submitted a letter calling on the Registrar of Societies to revoke its approval for the formation of a rival organisation in Kuala Lumpur.

SCAH president Ting Chee Seng led a delegation of eight this morning to personally submit the letter to the ROS' Federal Territory branch office.

The appeal letter was based on a joint endorsement of its 155 members who attended a meeting held on Nov 23 which called for the revocation of the approval for Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall (KLCAH). SCAH has about 300 members.

Contacted today, the president said the letter cited four reasons why the rival assembly hall should be deregistered.

"Among others, the formation of a new hall would cause chaos among the (Chinese) community. They are confusing the community, and their duplication of roles with SCAH will split the community," he said.

He added that if ROS was unwilling to deregister the new organisation, then it should at least set some conditions such as the removal the phrase'Chinese assembly hall' from KLCAH to avoid confusion.

Ting said that the letter also explained the history of SCAH and its past activities. He said it was necessary to provide ROS a clearer picture on the status of the 80-year-old organisation.

According to him, the ROS official who met with the delegation said the office need to relay the appeal letter to its headquarters before a decision is made.

DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang has also urged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also home minister, to review the case as the approval for KLCAH was "improper and without strict compliance with the law".

Considered as threat

KLCAH, whose registration was approved by the ROS on Oct 30, is led by president Liew Poon Siak and a 14-member committee.

Contacted this afternoon, Liew declined to comment on the SCAH's move.

The formation of KLCAH, which caught many by surprise, has sparked a controversy within the Chinese community as it is seen as 'threat' to reputable SCAH.

SCAH constitutionally accepts both Federal Territory and Selangor Chinese-based associations as members.

Liew has since been criticised by many for his leading role in the formation of a rival hall as he is a veteran in SCAH who has served as deputy president, secretary-general and was also one the SCAH's directors since the 1980s.

Certain quarters also claimed ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's special aide Mathias Chang was behind the formation of KLCAH and has provided assistance to Liew who was keen to form another hall after his defeat in the contest for the SCAH presidency in 1998.

However Liew declined to comment on the matter beyond saying that he and Chang are friends.

The duo were known for their close ties after they organised a tea-serving ceremony for Mahathir in September 2001 and the ' Thank you, prime minister ' mass gathering last October.

SCAH has an uneasy relationship with the government for many years with its support for the Chinese education movement, and the campaigns for human rights and democracy.