(Borneo Post - OCTOBER 31, 2015, SATURDAY AT 12:01 AM)
KUCHING: The High Court here yesterday overturned the home ministry’s decision to ban the Sarawak Association of Peoples’ Aspiration (Sapa) made on Nov 14 last year.

Judge Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang in her ruling said the ministry’s decision was wrong.
She also ordered the respondents, comprising the Home Minister, director of Registrar of Societies (RoS) and the federal government to pay RM8,000 in costs.

The RoS had deregistered Sapa, a non-governmental organisation looking after the state rights, under Section 5 (1) of the Societies Act 1966.

Later Sapa president Lina Soo told reporters that the ruling proved that Sarawakians had every right to speak out against any perceived violation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the accompanying Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report.

The Agreement and Report, to formalise the formation of the Malaysian Federation, were signed by Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore.

Now that it had been been declared a legal NGO, Sapa would speak against any violation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), she said.

Meanwhile the counsel for Sapa, Dominique Ng Kim Ho said as of today the movement was no longer an illegal one.
He said the judge agreed that Sapa was not given the chance to respond to allegations made against it before it was deregistered. — Bernama