Malay Consultative Council does not represent PM’s Office, says G25

G25 spokesperson Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin says the Prime Minister's Office has confirmed that it did not appoint the Malay Consultative Council to act as its representative. – December 30, 2014.The group of 25 retired senior civil servants (G25) today snubbed the Malay Consultative Council's (MPM) call for a dialogue, saying that the latter was not appointed by the Prime Minister's Office.

The group's spokesperson Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin told The Malaysian Insider that she received confirmation from PMO that it did not appoint MPM as its representative to hold meetings with G25.

This was in contrast to MPM secretary-general Datuk Dr Hasan Mad's statement yesterday claiming that PMO has appointed them to meet with the G25 and they were planning a closed-door meeting soon.

"I have checked with the PMO, it is not true. The MPM does not represent the PMO," Noor Farida said.

"They have no ties with the Prime Minister's Office," she told The Malaysian Insider.

MPM, a caucus of 284 Malay non-governmental organisations (NGOs), claimed to have received instructions from the PMO last week but refused to give further details.

The Malay group did, however, admit they have yet to inform G25 of the planned closed-door meeting.

"Until we sit down with them and talk, we cannot reveal (the issues to be raised during the discussion)," Hasan was reported as saying.

Meanwhile, Noor Farida, a former diplomat said G25 was now waiting for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to finish managing the flood situation in the east coast, adding that they remained focused on the suggestions made to the Pekan MP.

"Right now, we are committed on our suggestions to Najib, we are waiting for him to finish with the flood issues," she said.

Noor Farida added that G25 was also in the midst of setting up an appointment with the PMO, but declined to elaborate on the details.

"Once we have had the meeting, we will issue an official statement," she said.

"Perhaps I do not care, but I really have not heard of them (MPM)," Noor Farida said when asked if the group was aware of MPM's existence.

The open letter by the 25 prominent Malays decried the "lack of clarity and understanding" of Islam's place within Malaysia's constitutional democracy, as well as a "serious breakdown of federal-state division of powers, both in the areas of civil and criminal jurisdictions".

Signatories of the 19-paragraph letter consisted of former high-ranking civil servants, including directors-general, secretaries-general, ambassadors and prominent individuals.

They also called on the prime minister to establish an inclusive consultative committee and called for dialogue on Islamic laws.

- TMI