MUDA and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) have demanded for Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to resign from his position as deputy prime minister until his Yayasan Akalbudi corruption case is concluded to prevent any conflict of interests.
Both parties have also threatened to take to the streets if the demands that they have submitted to the attorney-general chambers (AGC) within five days are not met.
PSM Youth president Arveent Kathirchelvan remarked in a demand letter to Attorney-General (AG) Datuk Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh that both Muda and PSM wanted a clear explanation from the AGC over their decision to halt the proceedings against Zahid.
Muda and PSM have also requested a clear timeline to speed up the separation of powers by the AGC and public prosecutors in order to minimise conflict of interest, adding that both parties have also asked for Zahid to be charged again until a concrete resolution by the court is achieved.
“Should there be no satisfactory response within five working days or by Sept 18, we would proceed to take it to the streets in the name of democracy to express our disappointment and of other Malaysians,” Arveent was quoted as saying by New Straits Times today (Sept 11), adding that they would also be joined by other civil society organisations.
“The discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) application by the AGC is seen as government intervention in a court case in a subtle way to protect political interests.
“As the accused is the deputy prime minister and the prosecution is from the AGC under the prime minister’s office, there is a conflict of interest in the prosecution.
“This raises the question of whether the prosecution can carry out their responsibilities transparently.
“Also, a cause for concern is when we found out that the letter of representation referred (by the prosecutors) was sent by the defence after the 15th General Election (GE15), with the appointment of the prime minister on Nov 24, 2022, after the full cabinet list was announced on Dec 2, 2022,” Arveent said.
“It is also shocking to know that the lead prosecutor for Zahid’s Yayasan Akal Budi case which saw his discharge of all 47 graft-related charges, Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran had requested for an early retirement after the representations were submitted.
“This announcement was shocking. Adding to that, the AG Tan Sri Idrus Harun was also said to request for a DNAA before his retirement.
“This confuses the rakyat and invokes worries that the institution that is crucial to execute democratic powers is being used for political purposes,” he said.
In a separate development, Muda and PSM said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has meddled in parliament business when he chose to state that court cases cannot be discussed in Parliament.
PSM deputy chairman S. Arutchelvan said there was no reason for the Prime Minister to not debate on the DNAA in Parliament as it was a case involving public interest, adding that there were 99 prosecution witnesses, which indicates that the prosecution was working hard.
“We are calling for the Prime Minister not to meddle in parliamentary affairs. Now, it is as if he had issued an instruction not to debate this motion so the Speaker from his party would not allow the motion. We are calling for Parliament to debate this motion,” he said. – Sept 11, 2023
Main pic credit: Malaysiakini
