The Registrar of Societies (ROS) has yet to get back to Pakatan Harapan on the coalition's registration, coalition chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad revealed today.

“Until now there has been no answer or acknowledgment from the ROS.

“So we think that this is done on purpose, the non-response, so that we waste our time and cannot make our preparations for the elections.

“We still do not know whether our symbol is accepted or not and we do not know whether our party is recognised formally or not,” Mahathir said during a press conference at the Bersatu headquarters in Petaling Jaya after a Harapan presidential council meeting.

Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years, had before this accused the ROS of deliberately delaying the coalition’s registration.

Harapan had submitted their application to the ROS in the middle of last year. 

Mahathir said this delay is a form of “insult” to the rakyat because they would be deprived of candidates they want to vote for.

“In the elections, the rakyat would not be allowed to choose their leaders because their leaders cannot contest as they want,” he said.

Mahathir also responded to former Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim who said he would campaign for PAS in Selangor in the coming general election.

“It is a free country. It is free when you do something that may be helping BN,” he said.

“He’s not even a politician, he’s a businessman,” added Mahathir when pressed on whether Khalid’s involvement would have a huge impact on the elections.

Khalid, the independent Port Klang assemblyperson, said yesterday he would campaign for PAS to prevent DAP from controlling the state.

However, he said he would not join the Islamist party.