The Registrar of Societies (ROS) has initiated an investigation into Bersatu on the status of its annual general meeting that has been opposed by several party members, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Zahid, who is also the home minister, said that as the investigation required scrutiny of documents, which would take some time, ROS had been asked to step up the investigation.

“We have asked ROS to not just initiate an investigation but to step up the probe and look into the complaints,” he said when commenting on calls by Bersatu members who wanted ROS to speed up the probe and take action.

They claim that the AGM held on Dec 30 last year was unlawful and violated the party constitution.

Yesterday, former Bersatu Youth committee member Mohamad Taufik Abas said that 1,999 Bersatu members would gather at the ROS headquarters to protest if no action was taken against the party in two weeks.

Asked at a press conference after the Home Ministry monthly assembly in Putrajaya today whether ROS would be able to complete its investigation in two weeks, Zahid said: "I will leave it to them. I never get involved in their (ROS’) operational activities."

Prior to this, Zahid was reported to have said that ROS had received 249 complaints from Bersatu members nationwide, especially on alleged violation by the party of its own constitution.

According to him, 47 of the complaints have elements that the party was violating its own constitution, as well as the party’s rules and regulations.

‘Anti-fake news law not to cover up truth’

At the media conference, Zahid also hit out at Pakatan Harapan for claiming that the formulation of a law to check fake news was to “cover up the truth.”

The formulation of the new law is not intended to cover any truth, he said.

"During the 13th general election, was the claim of 40,000 Bangladeshi brought to Malaysia not fake news? Is that the truth they are going to portray again?

“There will be some fake news in the last-minute campaigning strategy... I am very sure,” he said when commenting on a statement by Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad to not use the law to cover up the truth.

At today’s assembly, Zahid launched the Home Ministry’s Recruitment Profiling System (Spier) which was developed to identify candidates who meet the key criteria, especially in terms of personality, integrity, mental health, competency and patriotism.

Spier will be used in the recruitment of Home Ministry’s enforcement personnel, such as the police and the Immigration Department.

Spier is a three-system computerised psychometric test and can also be used in the self-development of an officer.

Spier for the Prisons Department, Volunteers Department, National Anti-Drug Agency and the Malaysian Border Security Agency is being developed and expected to be fully utilised by 2019.

- Bernama