MMA need not hold fresh polls

Star: SEREMBAN: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) will not have to hold fresh elections after its successful appeal to the Home Ministry.
It is learnt that the body, which represents about 10,000 doctors in the country, can hold its next annual general meeting as scheduled in May without having to call for a re-election of office bearers for the 2011-2012 period.
Sources told The Star that the decision was conveyed to the MMA on Wednesday.
“This means the MMA will not have to declare null and void its election in May last year,” one of the sources said.
The Registrar of Societies deregistered the MMA in November last year after it failed to reply satisfactorily to a show-cause letter for flouting election-related regulations.
However, the deregistration was deferred by six months after an appeal from MMA.
Three of its former presidents had been pushing for MMA to hold fresh elections as they were concerned that the body would automatically be deregistered if it did not.
“From now on, they will have to abide by all rules and regulations, including provisions in the Societies Act and never to run foul of the law again,” a source said.
The charges against MMA included its failure to send out a complete list of candidates vying for positions seven weeks before the May AGM last year.
The MMA announced on its website that it had received a letter from the ministry dated Feb 29.
“Based on the decision of the appeal against the deregistration of MMA dated Nov 25, 2011, please be informed that the MMA should hold the AGM for 2012/2013 which will be conducted by the current executive committee (elected at the 2011/2012 AGM) within six months as directed by the minister,” its honorary general secretary Datuk Dr N.K.S. Tharmaseelan said.