The Malaysian Workers' Party cannot be rebranded as Parti Amanah Negara as it is not a political party but a party which champions the rights of workers.
Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said as such Gerakan Harapan Baru could not use the name Amanah as its official political platform as long as the workers' party constitution was not amended and had not been obtained the approval of the Registrar of Societies (ROS).
"Now they have no house (party) and want to use somebody's house. Workers' Party is not a political party. If they want to continue using the name Amanah, they have to change the constitution of Workers' Party.
"They also have to change the Workers' Party administrative system and first demonstrate that their administration represented a political party and not a workers' party," he told Bernama in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Nur Jazlan (photo) was asked to comment on the statement of Harapan Baru chairman Mohamad Sabu on Monday on changing the name of Malaysian Workers' Party to Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) as its official political platform.
The former PAS deputy president or better known as Mat Sabu said Harapan Baru had taken over the Malaysian Workers' Party and details on its rebranding would be submitted to RoS as soon as possible for approval.
Nur Jazlan who is also Pulai MP said Amanah also needed to undergo internal appointments such as membership, filling of posts and at least hold a party meeting.
He said only after these processes had been carried out, could Amanah register itself with RoS for approval and further action.
To date, Nur Jazlan said ROS had not received the Amanah party's application for registration.
Earlier, Harapan Baru submitted an application to register a new political party using the name of Progressive Islamic Party (PPI), but it was rejected by ROS.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who is also Home Minister had earlier said the application was rejected because Islam is the right of all Muslims and its usage on a political party could cause confusion.
- Bernama
