Law lecturer Azmi Sharom is not too concerned about the Conference of Rulers recent statement that any wrongdoers in the alleged financial scandal involving the country’s sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad must be punished.

Azmi said he was more concerned about the fact that the rulers are not elected leaders, and that ordinary citizens are not allowed to criticise them.

“They are people and citizens as well and can say what they want but my only concern is they are not elected,” Azmi told the Nusantara Forum “It’s the Constitution, Stupid” in George Town last night.

Azmi was in Penang to launch his book 'Brave New World' published by SIRD earlier this year.

He was then asked to state his opinion on the Conference of Rulers decree that the probe on the embattled 1MDB be wrapped up and any wrongdoers be punished.

“We can’t criticise them, we can’t say anything about them, one day they say what you like, another day, they may say something that you do not like, therein lies the danger,” he cautioned.

“Rulers are there as symbolic heads but to be directly involved in politics, it can be quite dangerous.

“If (Home Minister) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says something stupid, we can say his remarks are stupid, but I cannot say that if it is the sultan of Pahang or Johor,” he said.

“We can get into trouble for this. It can be seditious, so it is a dangerous game to play with regards to the rulers,” he stressed.

Azmi is facing a charge under the 1948 Sedition Act for comments he had allegedly made to The Malay Mail Online on the Selangor menteri besar crisis in an article ‘Take Perak crisis route for speedy end to Selangor impasse, Pakatan told’.

Azmi had challenged the constitutionality of the Sedition Act but failed when on Oct 6, the Federal Court panel led by Chief Justice Ariffin Zakaria, ruled that the law was valid under the constitution.

The law lecturer said he would be left alone if he merely wrote articles and reports read by nobody.

“I can write very beautiful, critical articles in journals which only five people read, where four are the editors, but once I step outside, I may get into trouble.

“Here’s the thing, when we don’t step outside the academia, we are told that we are not in touch with the ground, but when we do, we are told to shut up,” he said.

Happily, he is supported by his faculty, the dean, his students, from colleagues, and the union, where he is president.

“However, the university chancellor and his gang never said one word in support of me or academic freedom and I am not surprised at all,” he said.

Asked if he were planning to join politics, Azmi said “no”.

Accompanying Azmi was former Penang Bar Council chairperson and famous poet Cecil Rajendra (photo) as discussants for the event, which was moderated by Gerak Budaya Bookshop owner Ismail Gareth Richards.

Responding to the query on whether Azmi would join politics, Cecil said a politician must fulfil three qualities.

“One is being able to speak from both sides of the mouth at the same time, two, one must have a propensity for corruption, three, one must have an IQ of a cabbage,” Cecil said to laughter from the audience of about 80 people.

“Azmi does not have those three qualities and can never be a politician,” he added, to more laughter.

During the two hour talk, Cecil read out several poems related to sedition from his most recent compilation 'Personal and Profane', which earmarked his 50 years of poetry writing.

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