PETALING JAYA: The spat between Datuk Zaid Ibrahim (pic) and the Malaysian Bar has taken another twist, with the senior lawyer saying everyone should respect the prerogative of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in granting a royal pardon.
Responding to the Malaysian Bar’s statement on Tuesday that it would be a mockery of the law if former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was accorded a royal pardon, Zaid said everyone should respect the wisdom of His Majesty.
“These attacks have been going on for the past two weeks. It is as if His Majesty is set to grant the pardon to Najib. What is the actual motive of such statements?” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
He explained that the power of clemency was an honour by the law towards the King and Malay Rulers.
“This should be respected by all Malaysians,” he said.
Zaid also cited an example of such pardons being accorded in the United States, when former president Donald Trump pardoned 70 individuals during just one term of office.
“Those pardoned also comprised military members who caused the deaths of children in Baghdad, Iraq.
“Yet, nobody said the justice system was flawed or impaired,” he said.
He also expressed his disappointment at calls for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to not exercise the pardon for Najib, describing them as going overboard.
“This shows insolence. We must all respect His Majesty’s judgement. If we tell His Majesty what to do, the upcoming decisions of the Malay Rulers’ will then be questioned.
“What will happen to our country then?” he asked.
Zaid said Umno should also speak out in defending the King and the Malay Rulers, especially against those who question the way they exercise their powers.
On Tuesday, the Malaysian Bar issued a statement saying Najib did not deserve a royal pardon as he had only begun to serve his jail sentence.
It said that this was unlike other jailed politicians, like Anwar Ibrahim, Harun Idris and Mokhtar Hashim, who had served a substantial part of their jail sentence before being pardoned and released.
Its president Karen Cheah said a full pardon at this stage would be perceived as premature as Najib was still facing numerous other charges, and would set a dangerous precedent that powerful politicians were above the law or beyond reproach.
On Sept 2, Cheah was quoted by a news portal as saying she would not cede to the demands to apologise over a press statement issued by the Malaysian Bar on Aug 19 which Zaid and his partners claimed to be libellous, adding that they were ready to face them in court.
In the statement, Cheah said the justice system was being abused and brought to disrepute through the frantic acts and numerous attempts to postpone the hearing of Najib’s SRC International appeal. - Star
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