Muhyiddin has every right to question govt on ‘supplementary order’, says Zaid

 

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim says it is ‘pathetic’ for government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil to suggest that the disappearance of Adlan Berhan removes Muhyiddin Yassin’s moral standing to question the government.

PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin has every right to question the government’s treatment of the controversy over the purported “supplementary order” on Najib Razak’s house arrest, former law minister Zaid Ibrahim said today.

In a post on X, Zaid said it was “pathetic” to suggest that the disappearance of Muhyiddin’s son-in-law Adlan Berhan removed the former prime minister’s moral standing to question the matter.

Zaid was responding to government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil, who said yesterday that Muhyiddin should first set a good example by getting Adlan, who was allegedly “on the run”, to return to Malaysia.

“Bring back your son-in-law and then I think you’ll be in a better position to talk,” he said when asked to comment on Muhyiddin’s remarks on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s handling of the issue yesterday.

“If he fails to do so, then he has no moral standing to talk.”

Muhyiddin had criticised Anwar’s refusal to be drawn into the controversy over the “supplementary order”, saying the prime minister must explain and correct the situation as government leaders seemed to be at odds on the matter.

Najib is currently seeking leave of the High Court to commence judicial review proceedings and compel the government to produce the supplementary order purportedly issued by former Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah during the Federal Territories Pardons Board’s meeting on Jan 29.

Zaid criticised what he called the government’s “hide-and-seek approach” to the matter, saying respect for the Rulers should warrant prompt action on their decrees.

He also said the government should let the king and public know if there are legal impediments to this.

“Being forthright and professional is the way they should operate.

“Unfortunately, the government is not interested in the supplementary decree altogether. The prime minister says he does not want to get involved. The effect of all that is that Najib has to take action for a judicial review on the matter when it is the government’s responsibility to provide the answers,” he said.

Zaid also said that the government’s “mishandling” of the issue amounted to a challenge to the king’s absolute prerogative to issue a pardon, as well as that of the Malay Rulers.

“Don’t forget that we are not just talking about the prerogative of Al-Sultan Abdullah of Pahang (who issued the decree) but of all the nine Malay Rulers who have that prerogative in their respective states.

“The surreptitious manner in this government’s handling of the decree has far-reaching consequences. Every state ruler who grants a pardon or a respite will never know if the government will act on the matter, for the state government may ignore it, or the menteri besar may not want to get involved,” he said.

Reiterating that it was the government’s responsibility to provide answers, he said the prime minister should take the initiative to refer the matter to the attorney-general for determination, who should then inform the public about the status of the decree.

“If (Anwar) feels that it is more appropriate to refer the Federal Court to a constitutional question regarding the supplementary decree, then that’s what the government should have done,” he said. - FMT