Probe into ex-AG’s book nothing to do with race, says Umno man

 

Allegations in Tommy Thomas’s book raise questions about integrity and transparency, says Shahril Hamdan of Umno.

PETALING JAYA: Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan has denied that the party’s youth wing was making a racial issue of an investigation into the memoirs of former attorney-general Tommy Thomas.

The investigation was about integrity and transparency in the Attorney-General’s Chambers, he said. “It has nothing to do with race.”

“I would like to reiterate that, even if the author of the book was a Taufik, Talib, or Tahir, they should be investigated,” Shahril said in an online posting.

Shahril, who is vice-chief of Umno Youth, said PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli had been trying to create the perception that Umno was only bringing up the issue because Thomas is a non-Malay.

Yesterday, Rafizi had allleged that Umno Youth was trying to turn the investigation into a racial issue. He claimed that this would not work as Malaysians, including Malay voters, were more concerned about their livelihood than the contents of the book.

Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki had also hit out at Rafizi, saying that the PKR leader should back the investigation if he supported the rule of law and the judiciary’s independence.

Asyraf also questioned whether selective prosecution and abuse of power in the appointment of judges were important to Rafizi.

On Friday, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob called for a criminal investigation of Thomas under the Sedition Act, Official Secrets Act, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act, and the Penal Code.

The investigation is over allegations levelled against the judiciary, exposure of government secrets, abuse of power and professional negligence, and for making seditious statements. - FMT