It started off as a joke on Twitter that poked fun at Islamist party PAS but Parti Aspirasi Sains Malaysia (Sains) is no longer horsing around.

The PAS-parody party has taken its first steps to become a real entity by submitting an application to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) today.

"The party is founded as a home and platform for Malaysians who believe in implementing evidence-based public policies that are backed by...