Dr M told me to quit a day after appointment, says Tommy Thomas

(FMT) – No sooner had Tommy Thomas been appointed as attorney-general in 2018 when he was asked to resign by the very man who had recommended him to the job – Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Constitutional law expert Thomas reveals this and other new facts in his book “My Story: Justice in the Wilderness”.

In the prologue of the book published by the Strategic Information and Research Development Centre, Tommy says that the then prime minister had informed him in June 2018 that the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V had approved his appointment as AG.

The very next day, he says, Mahathir wanted him to resign due to strong Malay opposition to his appointment, according to a Facebook posting by GerakBudaya, which is offering the book for sale.

“The rug was immediately pulled from under my feet. Tun dropped a bombshell. Despite the Agong’s decision, Tun wanted me to resign because of the scale and magnitude of the Malay opposition to my appointment.

“I was utterly astonished. Tun wanted my resignation the next day. The professional opportunity of a lifetime had slipped out of my fingers before I could even take a breath,” reads the prologue.

Gerakbudaya, which will put the book on sale from Jan 30, describing the contents of the book, says the former AG “discusses key decisions he made, including the prosecution of former prime minister Najib Razak, Jho Low, Arul Kanda and Goldman Sachs for their roles in the 1MDB scandal”.

It adds on its website: “His book is the first insider’s account by a senior Pakatan Harapan government official on the achievements, disappointments and failures of the first non-Barisan administration in the 60-year history of independent Malaysia.

“His authentic voice is captured in this candid memoir, and is recommended reading for anyone interested in Malaysian politics and the law.”

Thomas resigned on Feb 28 last year, after the collapse of the PH government following the infamous “Sheraton Move” which led to Mahathir resigning and Muhyiddin Yassin taking over as prime minister backed by Umno, PAS and GPS of Sarawak.

The book also describes events leading to PH’s collapse and new information about the time PH was in power.