PETALING JAYA: Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has rejected Muda's appeal to be registered as a political party, says its pro-tem vice-president Lim Wei Jiet.

       Lim, who is also Muda's lawyer, said they were informed of the decision minutes before the hearing of Muda's application for judicial review to compel the Home Ministry to make a decision on its application to be registered as a political party.

       “Muda's pro-tem committee has just been informed via an email from the Registrar of Societies (ROS) that the Home Minister has rejected Muda's appeal to be registered,” Lim said in a statement Thursday (Aug 12).

       Earlier this year, the ROS rejected Muda's application but did not provide specific reasons.

       The party then filed an appeal with the Home Minister in February, but the minister had not responded until Thursday.

       Lim said that a few minutes before the judicial review started at noon, the federal counsel informed the court that the Home Minister had already decided on the appeal.

       Lim said Muda had filed for registration on Sept 17, 2020, and appealed its initial rejection to Hamzah on Feb 4, 2021.

       “The timing of the decision shows that the authorities only want to delay Muda’s registration for as long as possible,” Lim said.

       “We will challenge the Home Minister’s decision in court," he added.