Royal addendum: What govt leaders are saying so far

Royal addendum: What govt leaders are saying so far


Three days after the Court of Appeal granted leave to former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to commence judicial review in his bid for house arrest, key government leaders have commented on the royal addendum and its related issues.

Some denied allegations that the government is hiding information on the matter, while others refused to be drawn into the controversy.

A minister dismissed calls to declassify the minutes of the Pardons Board meetings - ironically, a suggestion made by the prime minister’s own aide.

Malaysiakini has compiled their quotes on the issue.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has declined to entertain PAS’ call for him to step down over allegations the government had “hid” the addendum.

When asked to comment this morning, Anwar only smiled and said “oooh” before chuckling slightly and walking away with his entourage.

In an interview with the Media Prima group yesterday, the premier’s aide Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin said the government should declassify minutes of the Pardons Board meeting to stop accusations that the government had ignored the royal addendum issued by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

“The only way to clear everything up is to declassify what happened at the Pardons Board meeting.

“Once it is made public we can hopefully put a stop to all the accusations and prevent any party from attempting to create a division between the government and the palace,” he said, as reported by the New Straits Times.

Federal Territories Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the minutes of the Pardons Board meeting concerning Najib will remain confidential and will not be disclosed to the public.

“The minutes of Pardons Board meetings are confidential. Therefore, we cannot make them public,” she told reporters in Putrajaya today.

She was responding to a call made by Shamsul.

Former attorney-general Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh remained tightlipped when approached by the media over whether a house arrest royal addendum for Najib existed.

Reporters queried him on the sidelines of the Opening of Legal Year 2025 in Putrajaya yesterday.

Attorney-General Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar also declined to respond when asked by reporters at the same event Terrirudin was attending.

When asked about this at a press conference yesterday, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil denied claims that the royal addendum was hidden.

“The document in question was honestly not hidden. I, as the communications minister, have not received, seen, or been informed about the document.

“I believe that since this matter involves the Pardons Board and we are also aware that the Court of Appeal has decided to remit the case back to the High Court, we need to seek the views and advice of the attorney-general on several matters to ensure that they do not prejudice the proceedings of the case,” said Fahmi, who is also the government spokesperson.

In a press conference on Monday, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the Prison Department never received the royal addendum granting Najib house arrest.

Saifuddin said that on Feb 2 last year, pursuant to the Pardons Board meeting on Jan 29, a letter from the Legal Affairs Bureau was sent to the Home Ministry and the Prison Department.

The letter contained two matters, Saifuddin said, the first being the minutes of the Pardons Board meeting, while the second was instructions to the Prison Department, signed by the then Agong Sultan Abdullah as chairperson of the Pardons Board and witnessed by Zaliha.

Saifuddin said the letter merely pointed out the decision to commute Najib’s sentence by halving his jail time to six years and reducing his RM210 million fine to RM50 million.

“That’s the letter the Prison Department received, there was no mention of house arrest,” he added.

In an immediate reaction following the appellate court’s ruling, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated that the possibility of Najib being placed under house arrest is insufficient.

Instead, the Umno president opined that the Agong should grant Najib full freedom.

“Umno appeals to the benevolence, wisdom, and justness of His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong to grant a full pardon to Najib, in line with His Majesty’s prerogative under Article 42(1) and (2) of the Federal Constitution,” Zahid said in a statement on Jan 6.

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke strongly criticised PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang for attempting to link the party to the controversy surrounding the royal addendum in Najib’s case.

In a statement on Jan 7, Loke denounced Hadi’s repeated political strategy of blaming DAP for every issue under the slogan “Everything is DAP’s fault”, labelling it irresponsible and malicious.