KOTA KINABALU: Former LDP president Datuk VK Liew has expressed surprise at the party’s decision to hold its congress this weekend as, he said, there is an ongoing leadership dispute.
According to Liew, the ongoing leadership dispute is now pending in the Federal Court where the Federal Court is scheduled to hear an application for leave to appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal affirming the dismissal of his application for leave to commence judicial review by the Kota Kinabalu High Court.
The hearing by the Federal Court is fixed on Nov 25, he said, adding that the subject matter of these pending proceedings would centre on the legitimacy of all office-bearers of LDP purportedly elected during a purported “Extraordinary General Meeting” of LDP held on 19 and 20 October, 2013.
The outcome of the pending proceedings will have serious implication on the legitimacy of the current purported office-bearers of LDP, he claimed.
Notwithstanding the pending proceedings, LDP’s party conference has been scheduled for 15 and 16 November, Liew noted.
“I have been advised that the said party conference will have the effect of interfering with the due administration of justice or the course of justice and is capable of amounting to an offence of contempt of Court,” he said.
Liew was of the opinion that in the best of interest of LDP and Barisan Nasional, it is reasonable for the said party conference be held after the Federal Court appeal so as to avoid further litigation.
“It goes without saying that to fix the LDP party conference just nine days before the Federal Court hearing is done in bad faith and calculated to defeat the due process of the law,” he said.
In the ongoing leadership dispute, ROS had issued a letter to Datuk Teo Chee Kang in January, recognizing him as the party’s president instead of Datuk Liew Vui Keong.
Before that, in August last year, Liew had sacked Teo as the secretary-general of LDP. A long and bitter dispute then surfaced between Liew’s and Teo’s fractions until today where Teo got himself appointed as party president in October last year without being elected by party members.
After ROS took side and recognized Teo, Liew took ROS to court saying ROS had no power to do so under the Societies Act 1966.
Otherwise, Liew argued, ROS would have the power in future to decide who should be president of a political party in Malaysia.
“In the event the courts rule that ROS has no power to appoint Teo as LDP president, then any activities or conferences organized under his name will be deemed illegal. Perhaps, it is best for all concerned to wait until the outcome of the Federal Court hearing on Nov 25,” he opined.