Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri is bearing the brunt of criticisms over Putrajaya's defence of a threat to burn the Malay language Bible, but it's not all her fault, says former minister Zaid Ibrahim.

Zaid, who was in charge of the same portfolio as Nancy, said when faced with contentious issues, the person in that hot seat is tasked with reading from a script.

"(The de facto Law) Minister is expected to appear in Parliament and give answers that have been prepared by those who really exercise power in the government,” he said in a blog posting.

The post, he said, is responsible for issuing "unpopular or controversial statements”.

“Some of these statements are downright idiotic but they are used to justify the government’s decisions.

"Knowing a little bit about how our Cabinet works, I suspect Nancy ( right ) did not prepare the statement, but was told to use it since she is the person in charge of matters of law in the Prime Minister’s Department,"

Zaid recalled being in a similar situation as the de facto law minister.

"They tried the same tactic with me on the Internal Security Act arrests, the Lingam tape case, and other issues in 2008, and expected me to defend the decisions made and issue their statements," he said.

However, Zaid said he refused to play along and therefore did not last long in that office.

Passing the buck

Zaid explained that Nancy is now embroiled in controversy because she did not put her foot down and say "no".

"She feels that as a minister, it’s her duty to make any statement that her colleagues in the ruling Government tell her to.

"Her explanation for why the government would not take action against Ibrahim Ali for his call to the burn Bibles was probably not her own idea," he said.

A parliamentary written reply on Wednesday bearing Nancy's name had stated that no action will be taken against the Perkasa president for his threat because he said it "to defend the sanctity of Islam".

Ibrahim had made the threat early last year after taking offence that the word 'Allah' was used in Malay language Bibles.

Weighing in on the case, Zaid said it is the police which should explain to the public why it could not gather evidence to prosecute Ibrahim.

"The police, realising the potential public outcry over the decision not to prosecute, passed the buck to the attorney-general.

"But the attorney-general is also a smart cookie. He is not a Cabinet member, nor does he occupy a seat in Parliament. He doesn’t need to explain the decisions he makes," said Zaid.

Therefore, Zaid said ultimately, Nancy was made to take the rap.

"I am not defending Nancy, but I understand her predicament well," he added.