Frustrated at the endless controversy over its leadership elections, DAP is now prepared to take the offensive against the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

Charging that the ROS has acted outside the law, DAP wants the ROS to explain or withdraw a Dec 6 letter stating that it won’t recognise the DAP’s central executive committee (CEC) elected on Sept 29. Otherwise, it is prepared to bring the ROS to court.

NONE “The ROS cannot and must not act beyond the powers conferred upon it in law and any such attempt to so do would be ultra vires, unlawful and not binding in law,” said DAP’s legal bureau chairperson Gobind Singh Deo ( left ).

“The DAP is fully prepared to and will not hesitate, if the need arises, to seek judicial pronouncements over the legality of the conduct of the ROS in this regard,” Gobind said in a statement.

At the heart of the dispute is ROS’ twin claims of unfinished investigations and improper paperwork submitted by DAP.

In the latest statement, DAP rebutted both arguments.

“First, let it be known that the report sent to the ROS over the re-election of the CEC is in its usual format, which is the same used for such reports by the DAP and accepted by the ROS in all previous years. As such, there is no basis for the ROS to say the report is too brief,” said Gobind, who is also the MP for Puchong.

He also charged that ROS was carrying out investigations with questionable intentions.

“The ROS must give the DAP full particulars of the complaints made against the DAP which the ROS is now purporting to investigate. The DAP is entitled to know who complained in respect of the re-election and what the basis of the complaint is,” he said.

The tussle between ROS and DAP over its leadership has been on-going since at least April. Jjust two days before nomination day for the 13th general election, ROS had sent a letter telling DAP that its leaders were not recognised. It then said that it wanted to probe DAP’s CEC elections last December over a minor technical glitch .

DAP had repeated its CEC elections in September to wash away all doubts , but still the ROS does not appear to be satisfied.