Amira Aisya Abd Aziz, the deputy president of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) and a prominent political figure, has launched a legal battle against the Registrar of Societies (RoS) over her blacklisting, citing a violation of her fundamental rights. The lawsuit challenges RoS’s decision to bar her from holding office in registered societies and seeks a declaration that the Societies Act of 1966 does not empower RoS to take such actions.
Amira Aisya, who also serves as the Puteri Wangsa assemblywoman in Johor, filed her application for leave to commence judicial review proceedings on July 13. The Kuala Lumpur High Court approved her application on August 17, after the attorney-general did not raise objections. A case management hearing has been scheduled for September 14.
The dispute revolves around Amira’s alleged blacklisting, which she discovered through an email from RoS dated April 18. The email informed her and several other activists of RoS’s refusal to register another civil society, the Malaysian Women Impact Association (Persatuan Impak Wanita Malaysia), reportedly due to her nomination as pro tem chairman of the proposed society.
Amira asserts that all necessary information and documents were submitted to RoS, and her subsequent checks using her MyKad number on the RoS web portal confirmed her blacklisting. The blacklist, purportedly enacted under Section 13(1)(c)(iv) of the Act, allows RoS to revoke the registration of a society if it willfully contravenes the Act or its related regulations. However, Amira contends that the blacklisting has no legal basis and may be linked to her previous role as the secretary of another society, the Persatuan Ekonomi Merdeka (PEM), between August 3, 2017, and October 19 last year.
In October of last year, RoS revoked PEM’s registration based on a recommendation from the insolvency department and directed Amira and other committee members to provide documents related to the association. Despite disagreeing with PEM’s cancellation, they cooperated fully with the insolvency department’s Selangor branch. Amira argues that her blacklisting infringes upon her fundamental right to establish associations, as guaranteed under Article 10(1)(c) of the Federal Constitution.
Furthermore, Amira claims that RoS’s decision to blacklist her is unreasonable and based on irrelevant considerations. This legal battle raises crucial questions regarding the extent of RoS’s authority and the protection of individual rights within the framework of Malaysia’s legal system. It also highlights the ongoing struggle for women’s rights, education, and environmental advocacy in the country.