PH critics, supporters deny closing an eye to court ‘U-turns’


“If the accused is innocent and the charge was politically motivated, we should trust the court to clear their good name. Otherwise, the AGC would stand accused of bias.”

(FMT) – Pakatan Harapan (PH) supporters and critics have both rubbished claims that they are closing an eye by being silent over the recent U-turns concerning legal cases against prominent PH leaders and allies.

This includes the delay over Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s two corruption cases and the recent withdrawal of charges against PH politicians and former leaders such as R Sivarasa and N Surendran.

Dr Boo Cheng Hau.

DAP veteran Dr Boo Cheng Hau, who has long been critical of top guns in his own party and Barisan Nasional (BN), said the cases which were initiated by BN should not have been brought to court in the first place.

“But I do not think corruption charges against any PH or BN leader should be dropped,” he added.

“PH promotes judicial independence. There shouldn’t be any attempt to filibuster the justice system unless the accused has evidence to prove that the charges were part of petty political victimisation.

“Or else, PH will be seen as a sanctuary for corrupt leaders,” he told FMT when contacted.

Sedition charges were recently dropped against a number of PH supporters, including Anwar Ibrahim’s former lawyer, after the prosecution withdrew the charges against them.

Attorney-General Tommy Thomas, who was appointed by PH soon after May 9, similarly dropped charges against Syarul Ema Rena Abu Samah, popularly known as “Ratu Naga” and political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, or Zunar.

Syarul Ema is a PH politician, while Zunar, although known for his drawings criticising politics of the day, whether BN or PH, is a PH ally.

Charges were also dropped against Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim and Kampar MP Thomas Su over offences under the Sedition Act, Communications and Multimedia Commission Act and Peaceful Assembly Act.

But Boo said the recent delay in Lim’s corruption case, for example, should not be misinterpreted as the the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) siding with PH leaders.

“If the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the AGC carry out their job professionally, Lim will have to prove his innocence in court.

“No PH leader should try to interfere with the case. They (the people) are not expecting a new version of BN,” he added.

Boo, who is a former Johor DAP chief, said if PH did not stick to following the rule of law, the people would be forced to choose the better of two evils during upcoming elections, and PH would eventually lose its popularity.

“We are facing an increasingly smart, conscientious and demanding electorate who do not allow excuses for things PH cannot achieve.”

Lim was charged in 2016 with using his public office to approve an application by a company to convert agricultural land for residential purposes when he was the Penang chief minister.

He was also accused of using his position to purchase a bungalow from businesswoman Phang Li Koon for RM2.8 million, lower than its market value of RM4.27 million. Phang was charged with abetment.

Lim’s trial was adjourned on May 21, the same day he was sworn in as finance minister, pending a review of the charges.

It is understood that Lim’s lawyers are making representations to the attorney-general (AG) to withdraw the charges.

Thomas Fann.

But Thomas Fann, the chairman of pro-reforms NGO ENGAGE, said the presumption that these cases were politically motivated to begin with should not be the only reason they are dropped.

“Don’t you think the general air of silence, even by BN, is an acknowledgement that a lot of these charges were politically motivated?

“They must have recognised that they abused the laws and used it to persecute their opponents,” he told FMT.

He said he welcomed the withdrawal of these charges but urged the AGC to reveal its reasons for doing so.

“The AG must state clearly and publicly his rationale and criteria for such withdrawals.

“Further, it must be consistently applied to all those charged regardless of party affiliation,” he said.

He added however that corruption cases should be allowed to proceed.

“If the accused is innocent and the charge was politically motivated, we should trust the court to clear their good name. Otherwise, the AGC would stand accused of bias.”

Thomas also called on the government to work quickly on repealing similar laws which “affect our fundamental freedom of citizens”, lest they be “abused” once more.

Tariq Ismail.

PPBM Supreme Council member Tariq Ismail said while there were claims that BN had “abused” the system to silence its critics, it was time to do away with revenge-based politics.

“Many PH supporters felt the previous administration was not ruling according to the law, and was instead abusing laws to silence critics.

“But this is not the time for PH and our supporters to look back at the hurts of the not-too-distant past.

“We know that there were insults thrown at us before, and friendships, as well as families, broken. But let us use this time instead to reconcile and not go on a witch hunt.

“Heads will roll, but only in accordance with the law,” he told FMT.

PKR Youth leader and chief strategist of PH’s Youth wing Syukri Razab said it was high time PH stopped criticising decisions made by BN as the people had already voted out the coalition.

“Stop finding fault with the previous administration’s decisions. Is this good enough reason to sidetrack working on fulfilling your manifesto? I don’t think so.

“This is all not needed anymore because the people have made a choice – we no longer care about BN’s faults, so stop using them as bullets,” he said when contacted.



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