“Ismail Sabri, I think you committed the biggest blunder, sir!”
Under the present Government, anything can be classified as OSA, and if anything can be used for one’s political mileage, it can be declassified.
(Focus Malaysia) – CARETAKER prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has committed one of the biggest blunders and will pay heftily for it.
During his campaign speech at the Barisan Nasional (BN) political rally at Bagan Datuk recently, he revealed that he had instructed Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun to take action against his predecessor, Tan Sri Tommy Thomas, under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and defamation law, among others.
Ismail also said he had declassified the report on the investigation into Thomas’ book, which only goes to show that under the present Government, anything can be classified as OSA, and if anything can be used for one’s political mileage, it can be declassified.
Mala fide
What Ismail has done appears to go beyond his powers as the chief of the executive branch of the government because the independence of the judiciary is enshrined in our Federal Constitution.
Now, it becomes apparent that the task force investigating Thomas was set up mala fide (in bad faith), based on Ismail’s own admission that the task report could now be used as political “bullets” to attack Pakatan Harapan.
I believe it is clear to everyone that even though Thomas was appointed during Pakatan’s time in power, he maintains an independent view, neither supporting the coalition nor BN. Thomas is known to have also expressed his own frustrations with Pakatan.
Therefore, Ismail should not be making Thomas his punching bag during the election campaign.
Choosing to announce it during the same ceramah in Bagan Datuk, where UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is contesting, shows that he was trying to gain some brownie points.
It made me question: was the UMNO vice-president trying to kill two birds with one stone – all for political mileage with the general election just within three weeks from now – one to probably show UMNO that he is vindicating the court cluster and the other to use Thomas’ case for his political campaign?
Ismail should tell us whether it was his own idea or that of his superiors to find fault with Thomas’ book. Most of us who read the book, or at least part of the book, know this is a sad state of our Government agencies – not only in recent years but for a long time now.
