KUALA LUMPUR: Registrar of Societies (RoS) director-general Surayati Ibrahim has expressed disappointment with a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) leader who accused her of dereliction of duties.
Surayati said while sentiments raised by PPBM deputy president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir over his party's issues were understandable, she must discharge her duties responsibly according to the law.
"I am not sure of what he (Mukhriz) had meant (through his accusation) but I would like to state that I am carrying out my duty based on the Societies Act 1966, in which complaints against political parties must be looked into.
"I am not sure why he does not want me to perform my duty.
"It feels as if PPBM leaders like to belittle government servants who are only performing our duties based on the trust given to us," Surayati said when contacted today.
During a media conference yesterday, Mukhriz went on the offensive and claimed Surayati's action of making media statements on PPBM issues as overstepping boundaries.
"The only thing that has happened is that the RoS director-general keeps making media statements which I think is pretty much against her own charter...her own duties.
"She overextended herself actually and therefore we don't respond to such things," Mukhriz had said.
Surayati explained that as the director-general of RoS, it was her responsibility to consider all aspects of complaints and that an investigation could not be done in a blink of an eye.
"Since RoS is the only agency which registers political parties in Malaysia, hence it is RoS' responsibility to investigate all complaints that are lodged," she said.
PPBM has been rocked by internal strife after party members lodged complaints with the RoS, alleging a constitutional breach had taken place when the party held its annual general meeting in December last year.
On Feb 8, Surayati explained that the RoS had only begun receiving complaints from PPBM members in January and that the registrar could have completed the probe sooner had party members filed official complaints earlier.