PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has replied to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) following complaints of alleged "irregularities" involving election for the executive council during its annual general meeting (AGM) in July.
MATTA provided the necessary reply to the RoS on Dec 4 after consulting with its legal counsel and in accordance with procedure, said its president Datuk Tan Kok Liang.
"We take complaints by our members very seriously. We have gone to great lengths to ensure we replied to the RoS with as much detail as possible to facilitate a smooth review," he said in a statement.
It was reported that RoS gave MATTA 30 days to explain why its registration should not be revoked.
The umbrella body for local tours and travel associations faces the risk of being deregistered.
The RoS letter dated Nov 6 stated that it was acting using powers under Sections (2) and (13) of the Societies Act 1966.
Among the clauses allegedly breached were allowing members with expired licences to attend the 44th MATTA AGM on July 13, allowing its honorary secretary-general to assume duties when his contract had ended and approving the Selangor MATTA chapter's financial statement.
The RoS said MATTA also allowed a member from its Kuala Lumpur chapter to contest-and hold a position in the chapter for the 2015-2017 term despite being unqualified.
Tan said one of the alleged breaches occurred in 2015 and questioned the timing of the issue.
He said MATTA would continue with its promotional activities as it geared up for Visit Malaysia 2020.
MATTA chief executive officer Phua Tai Neng said the AGM was conducted based on similar procedures and processes since 2003.
"MATTA has always used an independent technology solutions company to register the delegates for the AGM and another independent auditing company to manage the election process, including distribution of ballot papers and counting of votes.
"There has never been any issue or complaint by any member up until now," said Phua.