KUALA LUMPUR: Forty-nine societies have been declared illegal, some which were registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said this showed the government’s readiness to take legal action through its enforcement bodies, on any society that contravenes the law.
“Although the people are allowed to form societies, the government will not relent if they break the laws, which are enshrined in the Federal Constitution,” he said when replying to Senator Datuk Abdul Rahman Bakar at the Senate here yesterday.
Abdul Rahman wanted to know the number of illegal societies which existed and the actions that were being taken to prevent them from being active.
JPPM is responsible for administering and enforcing the Societies Act 1966 (Act 335), the Societies Regulations 1984 and the policies concerning societies, controlling and monitoring societies so as not to affect peace, welfare and public safety.
Wan Junaidi also said the ban was made after it was found that these groups had veered from their original purpose, including for welfare and social reasons.
He said the ministry through the JPPM was constantly monitoring and conducting regular notified and surprise checks on societies which were registered with the department. — Bernama