Wee slams PM’s refusal to confirm royal addendum's existence
Published: Dec 14, 2024 7:31 PM
Summary:
- MCA president Wee Ka Siong urged the government to confirm the existence of a supplementary royal decree to allow former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to serve his sentence under house arrest
- He accused the Attorney-General’s Chambers of pre-empting the court and implied the government was using the royal institutions.
- Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s sub judice reasoning doesn’t hold water, he said, since Malaysia’s non-jury legal system renders the principle irrelevant.
MCA president Wee Ka Siong has rubbished Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s reasons for refusing to confirm whether the former king had made a supplementary order for ex- premier Najib Abdul Razak to serve his remaining sentence under house arrest.
Anwar had previously told the Dewan Rakyat that he could not answer the question because of a parliamentary rule against sub judice discussions, and because the current king has not granted permission.
Wee countered that the sub judice rule is no longer applicable because jury trials have been abolished from Malaysia’s legal system. Court decisions are solely made by professional judges instead of juries drawn from the public.
He quoted former attorney-general Tommy Thomas stating, “The principle of sub judice does not exist in Malaysia because juries don't exist.
“All the judges of Malaysia are professional, career, full-time judges. If judges of Malaysia are influenced by what they read (about the cases they preside being discussed outside the courtroom), they should not be on the bench.”
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
Wee also noted that Najib’s SRC International corruption trial was hotly discussed outside the courtroom while proceedings were still ongoing.
“Did those on the other side respect the principle of sub judice? I’m impressed by those who sometimes trumpet the principle of sub judice and sometimes, completely ignore it,” he said in a video posted on Facebook today.
The former transport minister similarly chastised the Attorney-General’s Chamber’s (AGC) statement on Dec 9 urging the public not to make sub judice comments about the supposed royal addendum, since a related case is still pending in court.
He said the AGC has pre-empted the court in doing so.
‘Just answer it’
We then urged the government to settle the matter once and for all by confirming whether the supposed addendum exists.
“We are tired of the rhetoric and silence of the relevant authorities.
“We, the people, would not dare to challenge His Majesty. We, the people, would not dare to debate His Majesty’s decree. We, the people, would never challenge the power and position of the court.
“Those ones who are using His Majesty’s name and abusing the court to belittle His Majesty are the ones who are hiding and defying His Majesty’s decree,” he added.
The MCA leader explained he views the issue as an abuse of the court because the government can settle the matter without going to trial by simply answering the question of whether the order exists.
Najib is serving what was initially a 12-year jail sentence and an RM210 million fine for the RM42 million SRC International corruption case.
Wee also noted that Najib’s SRC International corruption trial was hotly discussed outside the courtroom while proceedings were still ongoing.
“Did those on the other side respect the principle of sub judice? I’m impressed by those who sometimes trumpet the principle of sub judice and sometimes, completely ignore it,” he said in a video posted on Facebook today.
The former transport minister similarly chastised the Attorney-General’s Chamber’s (AGC) statement on Dec 9 urging the public not to make sub judice comments about the supposed royal addendum, since a related case is still pending in court.
He said the AGC has pre-empted the court in doing so.
‘Just answer it’
We then urged the government to settle the matter once and for all by confirming whether the supposed addendum exists.
“We are tired of the rhetoric and silence of the relevant authorities.
“We, the people, would not dare to challenge His Majesty. We, the people, would not dare to debate His Majesty’s decree. We, the people, would never challenge the power and position of the court.
“Those ones who are using His Majesty’s name and abusing the court to belittle His Majesty are the ones who are hiding and defying His Majesty’s decree,” he added.
The MCA leader explained he views the issue as an abuse of the court because the government can settle the matter without going to trial by simply answering the question of whether the order exists.
Najib is serving what was initially a 12-year jail sentence and an RM210 million fine for the RM42 million SRC International corruption case.
Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak
A Pardons Board decision on Jan 29 reduced the sentence to six years imprisonment and a RM50 million fine.
However, it is alleged that Pahang ruler and former Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah - who chaired the Pardons Board meeting - also issued a supplementary order for Najib to serve his remaining sentence at home.
Najib has filed for a judicial review in a bid to compel the government to confirm the alleged addendum and to enforce the order.
The next hearing on Najib’s application for judicial review is slated for Jan 6 next year at the Court of Appeal.
Anwar had been asked to confirm the existence of order during parliamentary proceedings on Dec 10.
A Pardons Board decision on Jan 29 reduced the sentence to six years imprisonment and a RM50 million fine.
However, it is alleged that Pahang ruler and former Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah - who chaired the Pardons Board meeting - also issued a supplementary order for Najib to serve his remaining sentence at home.
Najib has filed for a judicial review in a bid to compel the government to confirm the alleged addendum and to enforce the order.
The next hearing on Najib’s application for judicial review is slated for Jan 6 next year at the Court of Appeal.
Anwar had been asked to confirm the existence of order during parliamentary proceedings on Dec 10.
However, the Tambun MP said he could not answer the question due to legal obstacles but has raised the issue for Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s consideration as it has continued to arise.
“As this matter continues to arise, I had proposed for consideration by the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong, to - at a time considered appropriate by the Agong - to refer the matter to the Pardons Board which the Agong will chair,” he said.
The Dewan Rakyat’s Standing Order 36(2) stipulates that parliamentary debates shall not refer to matters that are “sub judice in such a way as might in the opinion of the chair prejudice the interests of parties thereto”.
Wrong... there is already a court case from Najib demanding the court rule on the provenance of the so-called House Arrest Addendum.
ReplyDeleteLet the court process be exhausted.
The PM would be disrespecting the Court to confirm or deny the existence or standing of the alleged document.