Former minister Rais Yatim has asked if it is such a sin to suggest to the Umno supreme council to seek judicial guidance over the party's current status.

He was responding to Ab Jalil Backer of pro-Umno blog MyKMU, who said that Rais was "becoming crazier", telling the Umno veteran to leave or "more appropriately, be expelled from the party".

This follows Rais urging the Umno supreme council to seek a declaration in court over whether the party had violated its constitution when it delayed its party polls.

Rais acknowledged that certain individuals may jump upon him with "below the belt hits" following his suggestion.

However, he told such individuals to read clause 10 of Umno's constitution as well as sections 13 and 14 of the Societies Act, which touches on the cancellation and suspension of a society.

Umno, he said, must at least form a legal panel to determine the party's fate.

"Only then, ask 'siapa yang menggila' (who is becoming crazy). By the way, have we forgotten 1988 when Umno was adjudged illegal?

"Umno bigwigs should not be so arrogant as to high-handedly throw asunder constructive appraisals," Rais told Malaysiakini.

"It appears to me now (the motto) 'Bersatu, bersetia, berkhidmat', are mere words in a song sung once a year, to be forgotten by well-heeled warlords."

'Not ROS' call'

Rais said the Registrar of Societies (ROS) was not to be regarded as the ultimate authority to determine or usurp the power of Umno's constitution.

"The ROS (director-general) must show that she has the power to override the Umno constitution under clause 10," he said, pointing out that party rules only provide an extension of the party's leadership elections for a further 18 months from the date of postponement.

Clause 9.3 stipulates the supreme council is required to hold its polls within three years of the last election. Umno held its last party elections on October 19, 2013.

"If they go beyond, there appears to be questionable conduct that needs judicial clarification.

"Can the ROS director-general do away with a party's constitution and give rights that are not in the constitution? If she has, she must show it.

"The extension given by ROS for another 18 months after April 2018 is not constitutional. Hence, can she legally render that extension?" Rais asked.

Many quarters, added Rais, have maintained how that power exercises by ROS was "vague and non-effective".

"It is always good practice to have judicial guidance from the court in a case where executive directives are questioned or doubted. Whether Umno is now an illegal society is not for me to say.

"That power only lies with the courts, as what happened in 1988. The issue is, does the ROS have the power to extend (party elections) another 18 months from the April 2018 date?

"Is that extension an intrinsic power, or one that is deemed to be ostensible and material?"

Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said in February that the party's polls would be held on April 19, 2019, after getting approval from the ROS.

Sharing a friend's legal point of view, former minister Rafidah Aziz, however, said that Umno going by law cannot contest in the upcoming general election as it would be considered illegal after April 19, which was yesterday.

Rafidah also said that the ROS has no power to give the extension and that Tengku Adnan had relied on the wrong set of laws to justify the extension.

Nevertheless, Tengku Adnan insisted that Umno was not an illegal party and assured its members that the party can contest in the general election.