PASIR Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim questioned Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for signing an affidavit in support of jailed former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s application to serve his sentence under house arrest.
Saying that such a move was in effect an act of challenging the government, Hassan suggested that Zahid should emulate the move by Musa Hitam in 1986 by resigning from the Cabinet.
The then-DPM Tun Musa Hitam resigned over his disagreement with decisions made by the administration of then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and asked if Zahid was willing to follow suit.
“The legal implications arise when a DPM simultaneously holding a position as party president within the ruling coalition, supports a judicial review challenging the government’s decision,” said Hassan.
He added that this scenario suggests a conflict of interest, as the DPM is part of the cabinet whose actions are being contested.
By pledging support for the review, the DPM effectively challenges the decision made by the government and the Pardons Board.
This raises questions about the alignment of the DPM’s duties within the government and his allegiance to his political party.
“A judicial review is an application by one party, whether an individual, organisation, or company or corporation that applies to the court to review a decision or action that has been taken by the government,” he said.
According to him, if the sixth prime minister (Najib) files an application for judicial review against the government and names several respondents consisting of several government ministers including the attorney-general, the director of prisons and the Pardons Board then it means that the applicant is challenging the decision of the Pardons Board and the government with presumptions and allegations and accusations that the decision made by the board was wrongly decided.
“It means that the government made a wrong decision.
“When a DPM of the current ruling government pledges an affidavit and swears in his position as DPM and also as the president of a ruling coalition component party in support of the application of the former prime minister, then it means the deputy prime minister has officially challenged the decision of the Pardons Board and the decision of the government.”
Last week, in a surprise move, Zahid backed Najib’s claim of a supplementary royal order for the former prime minister’s remaining jail sentence to be served under house arrest in an affidavit filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on April 9. – April 21, 2024
Main photo credit: MalaysiaNews
