HUMAN rights activist and lawyer Siti Kasim has slammed over-zealousness of wanting to make a convicted criminal a free man as evident in the incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s royal addendum saga as something capable of making Malaysia a laughing stock at world stage.
Based on the sovereignty of the country’s law, she said every Malaysian has grounds to be really outraged with what is unfolding before their eyes with UMNO incessantly wanting to free its former president to the extent that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong are being dragged into the process.
“The actors in the royal addendum saga have turned Malaysia into a circus whereby the Federal Constitution has been made a floor mat and the judiciary body be made a playground,” she berated in her latest Facebook video.
The clip was in response to an earlier widespread 30-minute video by UMNO Supreme Council member and communications director Datuk Lokman Noor Adam who deliberated at length on the royal addendum issued by former Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
“The game is being (extensively) played in front of our eyes as if we’re blind … the Malay rulers were being manipulated while the rakyat are being made fools by politicians.
“Why are there so many elite politicians and the Malay rulers bowing to an effort to help free a convicted criminal as if we ignore his guilty judgment made in accordance with the sovereignty of the law by our judiciary body.”
Added the Orang Asli advocate; “I’m so outraged myself with these things going on behind us with politicians using their position and power to save the skin of the likes of Najib who has been found guilty in three layers of court.
“Do these types of people deserve to be leaders in our country? I’m so hugely disappointed for I don’t know if the Madani Cabinet ministers know about what Lokman Adam mentioned in his video.”
What Lokman revealed
While Siti Kasim hailed the decision by former attorney-general Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh to declare the said royal addendum as “invalid” on the basis that it was produced outside the Pardons Board, she expressed shock and disappointment over Lokman’s revelation that PMX cooperated with UMNO “to set free” Najib.
“By Lokman’s account, Anwar persuaded the then Agong (Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah) to insert Najib’s name in the list of pardons petition recipient due to the fact that he had spent barely one year (less than one-third) of his prison term,” she asserted.
“Interestingly, Lokman further revealed that Anwar had done so after having been convinced by (Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO president) Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform]) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said to do so.” – Jan 12, 2025
Post-script: Below is a synopsis or salient points of what Lokman said (best to listen to his video for right interpretation).
But Zahid said don’t announce first the decision by the Pardons Board which reduced Najib’s jail term (from 12 to six years) and fines (from RM210 mil to RM50 mil) as he wanted to first secure a house arrest for Najib.
But one day after the Pardons Board meeting (Jan 29, 2024), Sultan Abdullah issued the addendum for the house arrest … henceforth, the effort “to free” Najib has become more difficult as the Rosmah (Najib’s wife Datuk Seri Rosmah Mansor) gang mounted pressure by conspiring with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) camp instead.
This was when Lokman implied that there is no way that PN is able to make Najib a freeman for only PH is capable of doing so.
Moreover, according to Lokman, the current Agong doesn’t like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and even the late Tun Daim Zainuddin as evident in they were not invited for his coronation ceremony on July 20 last year (although he officially ascended the throne as the 17th Agong on Jan 31, 2024).
On this note, Lokman further stated that only the current Agong has the capacity “to free” Najib with a full pardon like how Anwar was accorded full clemency so that he can return to the political arena.
That explains UMNO’s pulling out from the Jan 6 “Solidarity with Najib” rally to ensure that the Agong would not be furious while planning is underway for a “second pardon” for Najib. So according to Lokman, Anwar persuaded the current Agong who has agreed in earnest to appoint a new Pardon’s Board after Feb 28 to consider the so-called “second pardon”.
However, Najib told Lokman and his gang to use the addendum issue first as “trump card” to facilitate his house arrest while he applies for full pardon.
But unfortunately, the ensuing brouhaha (the rally went ahead with PAS championing it after UMNO having pulled out with the opposition accusing the Madani government of hiding the royal addendum) infuriated the Agong. Hence, Lokman suggested a ceasefire strategy by just submitting a new application as decreed by the Agong.
After all, Lokman claimed that Anwar has initiated the first round of pardon and successfully secured a second pardon for Najib.
