Bersatu, Umno leaders slam AG for dropping LTTE cases

Bersatu and Umno leaders have criticised Attorney-General Tommy Thomas' decision to discontinue the prosecution of 12 suspects for their alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a defunct separatist group in Sri Lanka.

Bersatu Malacca deputy chief Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen accused Thomas (photo) of abuse of power.

"Thomas has interfered in the affairs of the executive, home minister and can be considered to have abused his power," he said in a Facebook statement.

In an 11-page statement, Thomas had said the common thread among all of them was that they simply had photos of slain LTTE leaders, such as Velupillai Prabhakaran, in their phones or Facebook accounts.

He had also said that the home minister's order declaring an entity a terrorist group is not meant to be permanent and should be reviewed every six months to find out whether there are still reasonable grounds for such an order to continue.

The LTTE became defunct in 2009 after it was defeated by the Sri Lankan army.

Meanwhile, Bersatu Youth exco Muzzammil Ismail said Thomas' decision had challenged Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's credibility. Muhyiddin is also Bersatu president.

"As a result of dropping the cases, the people now have no confidence and are suspicious of the judicial system and the government," he said.

Muzzammil questioned if suspects of other organisations recognised by the government as terrorist groups can now also ask that their cases be dropped.

"The AG does have absolute power in deciding whether a proceeding should be initiated or amended but the issue here is that Thomas has exceeded the powers of the prime minister and home minister.

"The bigger issue is the people's perception, particularly among Malay Muslims, towards the government, which has deteriorated as a result of such decisions that are seen to be biased and have certain agendas," he said.

Meanwhile, Umno Youth exco Mustafa Shah Abdul Hamid called for Thomas' resignation.

"I am sure many people are shaking their heads at the AG's decision.

"This is a serious matter involving national security. There can be no compromise in matters of national security and the AG's decision has only raised concerns.

"Umno Youth demands that Thomas resigns as AG," he said. - Mkini