Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali's proposal to sentence whistleblowers to life imprisonment is aimed at covering up cases involving BN, claimed a DAP lawmaker.

Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua said the plan is without morals, and was a clear attempt to frighten people from exposing evidence of mismanagement.

"The AG has completely lost his moral compass and eschewed all universal principles of justice in his pursuit to ensure a complete cover up for all cases involving the BN administration," Pua told Malaysiakini last night.

Apandi yesterday told Sin Chew Daily that he plans to increase punishments under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), currently between one to seven years jail, to life imprisonment.

The AG said journalists who refuse to reveal their sources who leaked state secrets would also not be spared.

News of leaked information regarding state linked firms including 1MDB have constantly made the headlines since 2015.

The leaks in these cases were not protected under the OSA, but Pua fears these too could soon be classified if Apandi's plans become a reality.

"Dark clouds are looming," he said.

‘Malaysia not a communist state’

Meanwhile former Umno leader Khairuddin Abu Hassan chided Apandi for trying to justify the severity of his idea by comparing it with China’s harsher laws.

"The AG should not compare Malaysia with China. We are not a communist state!" Khairuddin told Malaysiakini over WhatsApp .

He added if Apandi wanted to draw comparisons with China, the AG should note that corrupt leaders there may face execution by firing squad.

Khairuddin, who hit the spotlight for lodging reports against 1MDB overseas, said instead of going after whistleblowers, Apandi should be fighting for harsher punishments for the corrupt.

An ‘official secret’ under the OSA includes any information, document or material that may be classified as ‘top secret’, ‘secret’, ‘confidential’ or ‘restricted’, by designated ministerial officials or designated public officials

The Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 does not protect those who leak state secrets from classified documents.