DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Sing questioned Khalid Abu Bakar's legal knowledge after the inspector-general of police insisted he had the power to investigate parliamentary speeches on 1MDB made by three former ministers.
"I am thoroughly shocked that the number one policeman in the land has such a shallow knowledge of the law and the constitution," said Lim.
This morning, Khalid shot down issues of constitutionality when he insisted that police have adequate reasons to investigate former ministers Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Muhyiddin Yassin and Shafie Apdal.
He had said that the parliamentary immunity accorded to MPs did not cover offences under the Official Secrets Act 1972 and Sedition Act 1948.
The top cop said they were being probed for possibly breaking their oath of secrecy when they were ministers and inciting people into believing that the prime minister had committed a crime even though the 1MDB investigation is ongoing.
However, Lim said the immunity exemption only applied to four "sensitive" issues, namely Article 181 of the Federal Constitution on the sovereignty of the rulers, Article 152 on the national language, Article 153 on the special provisions for Malays and Part II of the Federal Constitution on citizenship.
"Any careful reading of Husni’s speech in Parliament on the 2017 budget, which applies equally to the speeches by the other two former cabinet ministers, Muhyiddin and Shafie, would show that neither of three former cabinet ministers said anything about the four entrenched 'sensitive' issues," he said.
Lim describe the police's move as an "insidious subversion of Parliament's proper role and place".
It is for this reason, the Gelang Patah MP said, he is convening a meeting of parliamentarians which is expected to be attended by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Parliament next Tuesday.
"Although request for a room in Parliament is still awaiting the speaker’s personal approval, I would like to openly invite the speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, the deputy speakers, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and all ministers and BN MPs to this meeting.
"It concerns a most fundamental issue affecting not just opposition MPs, but the very quality of democracy and Parliament in Malaysia," he said.- Mkini
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