Did Muhyiddin commit a crime?
If it is true that Muhyiddin told the meeting they will entice Umno members of parliament to support the ouster of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the DAP-led Pakatan Harapan government by offering them positions in the new government, so what? Nothing wrong with that. That is how politics is played. It is normal and is done in every country all over the world. Remember Anwar Ibrahim’s “16 September” in 2008?
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
The latest brouhaha is regarding a secret recording allegedly of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin telling a closed-door meeting that they will entice Umno members of parliament to cross over to bring down Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s DAP-led Pakatan Harapan government. (SEE NEWS ITEMS BELOW).
Pakatan Harapan is trying to make it appear like a crime has been committed. First of all, if a crime HAS been committed, then it would have been committed by the person who secretly recorded that closed-door meeting.
What if someone secretly bugs your bedroom and tape-records or video-records you having sex with your wife (and then publishes it on the internet)? Is that legal and covered under freedom of speech? Who has committed the crime? You who had sex with your wife or the person who bugged your bedroom and tape-recorded or video-recorded you having sex with your wife?
Even if the secret recording is authentic what crime has Muhyiddin committed?
Pakatan Harapan is suggesting that they are within their democratic right and civil liberties in secretly recording a closed-door political party meeting. Is that not espionage and a crime in any country?
Remember what happened to President Nixon? Nixon was forced to resign while 48 of his people were indicted for the Watergate crime. How come the US court did not rule it was the democratic right and civil liberties of the Nixon administration to spy on its political rivals, and instead sent the convicted people to jail?
Yes, secretly recording a closed-door meeting of a political party, especially one that was the government at that time, is espionage. You are not heroes, as Pakatan Harapan is trying to suggest. You are criminals. What if they had secretly recorded a DAP CEC meeting? Satu dunia kecoh!
Offering positions for members of parliament to cross over is not a crime
Okay, so DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh wants to expose this secret recording in Parliament. Did he secretly record that closed-door meeting himself? If not, then who did, because then it would be hearsay? If someone else recorded it instead of him, then Ramkarpal will need that person to testify to confirm that he himself personally recorded that meeting.
Then Ramkarpal needs to confirm that the recording is the original recording and not a copy or edited version of the original. If not then it would be considered tampered, which means it cannot be tendered as evidence. Evidence must be certified original and untampered.
Remember Anwar Ibrahim’s famous mattress, which the court rejected, because there was no guarantee the mattress had not been tampered with while in police custody? They did not say the mattress had been tampered. They said there is no guarantee it had not. And that doubt is enough to get the mattress rejected as evidence.
Anwar Ibrahim also offered positions plus RM25 million cash each to 30 Barisan Nasional MPs to cross over in September 2008
So, where did Ramkarpal get that recording from? Who secretly recorded the meeting? Was it Ramkarpal himself or someone else? If someone else then who? And is that person prepared to step forward to testify that he or she recorded that meeting? And is the recording the original untampered version or a copy? And how was the chain of transmission done to ensure there was no tampering of the recording along the way? Was it properly certified at each point of transmission?
How come a lawyer like Ramkarpal does not know these basic rules of evidence?
Anyway, in the first place, in the event that the recording is authentic — meaning it is original and the “maker” has come forward to testify that he or she is the source — what crime has been committed?
Ramkarpal seems to have forgotten the basic rules of evidence
If it is true that Muhyiddin told the meeting they will entice Umno members of parliament to support the ouster of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the DAP-led Pakatan Harapan government by offering them positions in the new government, so what? Nothing wrong with that. That is how politics is played. It is normal and is done in every country all over the world. Remember Anwar Ibrahim’s “16 September” in 2008?
So, what’s the issue here? If you want something you must offer something in return. Even DAP people will support you only if they get positions. Every single DAP person was given a position in the DAP-led Pakatan Harapan government — even non-MPs like Tony Pua and Superman Hew. Not a single DAP person, right down to the AJK cawangan, was not given a position in the DAP-led Pakatan Harapan government. Biasalah! DAP pun buat yang sama.
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MACC says audio clip probed, matter now with AGC
(FMT) – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) says it has investigated an audio clip purportedly of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin enticing Umno leaders to join his party with promises of positions in the Cabinet and GLCs.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the matter has been handed over to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).
When asked if Muhyiddin would be called up to give his statement on the recording, Azam said this would depend on the ACG’s instructions.
“In investigations about audio recordings, we have to look at various issues such as the authenticity of the voice and whether what was said in the audio is a crime or not,” he told reporters in a press conference at UniKL today. (READ MORE HERE)
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Ramkarpal says should be allowed to play so-called ‘voice of Pagoh’ audio clip in Dewan Rakyat
(MMO) – Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh lamented the decision by Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said preventing him from playing an audio clip of a person alleged to be Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, plotting the infamous ‘Sheraton Move’, which led to the Pakatan Harapan government’s (PH) downfall.
In a press conference today, the prominent lawyer said that there are no provisions in the Standing Orders which prevents him from doing so, nor any provision which requires him to notify the Dewan Rakyat Speaker and his deputies of his intentions. (READ MORE HERE)
