Strange! How do you know Cabinet secrets, ex-AG asks Pandikar
(FMT) – “He could have raised it when the matter was being discussed with reference to the Standing Orders so that those affected could justify their action. To comment on it later is prejudicial to those affected, and uncalled for”
Abu Talib Othman says Dewan Rakyat Speaker should report person who told him about Cabinet meeting on 1MDB, and thus revealed classified information.
Former attorney-general Abu Talib Othman may have opened a can of worms when he questioned how the Dewan Rakyat Speaker knew that three former ministers had revealed government secrets when they raised the 1MDB issue during debate time last week.
Abu Talib wondered how Pandikar Amin Mulia, as head of the legislature, knew that the Cabinet had discussed the 1MDB issue. Also, how did he know what was discussed was classified information.
“Did somebody tell him about it? If that is the case, the Dewan Rakyat Speaker should have lodged a police report against that very person who told him,” Abu Talib told FMT.
He said this after police began investigations against former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, ex-finance minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah and former rural and regional development minister Shafie Apdal for allegedly divulging national secrets.
“I am going by the logic of the Speaker. How does he know what was spoken by the three was discussed in the Cabinet and that it was classified information?”
Pandikar held a press conference on October 27 where he said the three ministers may have broken their oath of secrecy when they brought up the 1MDB issue while debating Budget 2017 in the Dewan Rakyat.
Several laws such as the Official Secrets Act and the Sedition Act, could be used against such MPs, he had said.
This resulted in Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) and Sahabat N87 Federal Territory lodging police reports against the three former ministers for allegedly revealing government secrets.
