Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has exceeded his scope of authority by threatening the public over the casino issue, according to Lawyers for Liberty.
Labelling Anwar’s warning as unlawful and unprecedented, its director Zaid Malek asserted that it is not in Anwar's job scope to decide whether anyone has committed any crime.
He also likened such action to authoritarian regimes like former Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos.
"The prime minister has no business to usurp the role.
"Only in a Marcos-style regime does the head of the executive threaten the people with imprisonment for making comments," Zaid (above) said.
Therefore, he urged the prime minister to retract his threat.
Yesterday, Bernama reported Anwar’s warning over the casino issue. He said legal action would be taken against those spreading lies.
On April 30, Bersatu information committee member Badrul Hisham Shaharin, better known as Chegubard, was charged with making seditious remarks about the project.
Unjustifiable move
Zaid pointed out that under the country's democratic constitution, Anwar lacks the authority to intimidate the public with the prospect of jail time for engaging in public discourse on matters of public interest.
Regardless of the accuracy of comments or allegations, Zaid argued that resorting to criminal prosecution to stifle public debate is unjustifiable. He said Anwar could refute false claims or pursue civil action against defamatory statements instead.
Zaid also highlighted a shift in Anwar's approach, pointing out how Anwar and his coalition used to rely heavily on Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression, during their time in the opposition but now appears to treat the right as an inconvenience.
He further questioned Anwar's focus on targeting the public who commented on the casino project rather than pursuing legal action against Bloomberg or other news agencies regarding the claim or taking steps to retract the story.
He contested Anwar's assertion that the threat was necessary to safeguard the royal institution, arguing that the prime minister overlooked the scrutiny directed at his alleged involvement in the project.
"Anwar cannot hide behind the royal institution to shut down public criticism or comment against himself," he said.
Zaid also noticed a pattern of conduct in which Anwar used the royal institution as an excuse to continue using oppressive laws, such as the Sedition Act.
"This backdoor way of justifying the denial of freedom of speech and the use of oppressive laws must stop," he added. - Mkini
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