PARLIAMENT | Opposition MPs should stop questioning the Malay rulers’ power to pardon convicts, said a BN representative, as they might find themselves in need of such mercy in the future.
Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin) said the opposition MPs should also be mindful of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s contributions to the country when criticising the latter’s pardon application.
“In my opinion, the power to give a royal pardon should not be questioned. Regardless of how much you hate him (Najib), at least he has made great contributions to this country.
“We must also be mindful because, while today may be his day (to be jailed), we do not know who is next.
“This (reminder) is especially for my friends who are on the other side (the opposition) because many of them are also part of the ‘court cluster’,” he said when debating the royal address by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar at the Dewan Rakyat earlier today.
The “court cluster” is a nickname used to describe political leaders who were charged in court with corruption-related cases post the 14th general election in 2018.
While Isam (above) did not name anyone, it was understood that he was referring to several Perikatan Nasional leaders who are facing corruption trials, including former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan.
Earlier in his speech, the BN MP also took a jab at Azman Nasrudin (PN-Padang Serai) for misnaming the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in his speech at the Dewan Rakyat last week.
‘Cursed’ for misnaming the king
Azman had made a mistake on the king’s name when debating Sultan Ibrahim’s royal decree on Feb 28. The Dewan Rakyat speaker ordered him to make a public apology to the monarch the next day.
Isam sarcastically suggested that Azman’s error was a sign of ketulahan (a curse) for questioning the power to pardon, or in Najib’s case, to reduce his sentence.
“According to Article 42(1) of the Federal Constitution, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has the power to pardon, postpone, or reduce punishment.
“Last week, one of my friends from the other side (the opposition) had been so eager to question the reduction of Najib’s sentence that he did not even realise that he had misnamed the king in his speech.
“This is an example of a person ‘terkena ketulahan’ (cursed) for disobeying the Malay rulers,” he said.
In Malay culture, the Malay rulers are said to have a sort of special power and anyone who goes against them would be struck by disaster otherwise known as ketulahan. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.