Penang Gerakan legal and public complaints bureau chief Jason Loo said signing statutory declarations (SDs) under the state's Freedom of Information Act was against public interest.

He said when the FOI was enforced, it did not mention about signing of SDs before a document is released to the public.

"Why did they come up with this only after they promised to disclose the agreements on reclamation (Bayan Bay and Bayan Mutiara)?" Loo asked.

He also criticised Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy for accusing him of " politicising " the agreements.

Ramasamy, who oversees the enforcement of the Act, had also slammed Gerakan for questioning the state's sincerity in enforcing the FOI since Jan 1, 2015.

When Gerakan was in power prior to 2008, the state government never implemented the FOI, the Perai assemblyperson had said.

Loo said he was just playing his role of check and balance and asked whether applying for a document can be considered as "politicising".

"How could I politicise the issue with the DCM who is a Phd holder and former professor?

"I want to challenge him to ask his party senior leader Lim Kit Siang what is the definition of declassified (documents)?" Loo said.

He asked if the state government had approved or gazetted the additional requirement of signing a SD as a condition to obtain official documents.

Loo wants to know if the state had approved the new condition during the state assembly sitting or executive council meeting.

"I got a copy of the FOI from the state legal adviser's office a few weeks ago, it never mentioned the SD.

"Why didn't they include it in the enactment when they gazetted the Act?" he asked.

Loo said the move to restrict usage of the documents does not match with the principles of transparency.

He added that the move appeared to suggest that the state government does not want the public to obtain details of the agreements.

"I have come here three to four times already, they sound as if they want me to lock me inside a room to read the document and I can't share it with others," Loo lamented.

He refused to sign the SD, saying he was not afraid of the legal consequences after signing it.

Withdraw all conditions

Loo said he does not want to allow a precedent which would force others to do the same.

"If I signed it, they would tell the public that even a lawyer had signed it (so what's wrong with it)," he added.

He urged Ramasamy ( photo ) to withdraw all the conditions which have become a hindrance to the access to information.

Loo is mulling whether to file a case to the Appeals Board as this is provided in the FOI.

"The requirement to sign the SD was never mentioned in the regulations," he said.

Last Friday, Loo was told he has to sign the SD, after which he would be provided with the agreements by the FOI unit in Komtar.

But he only received a last minute call at 9am today telling him to be at the state secretariat to sign the SD at 10am.

After signing the SD, Loo was not satisfied with the contents and went to Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy's office in Komtar to clarify some issues.

"I wanted to ask him personally if his definition of declassification of documents was similar to Lim's.

"According to the SD, I can only use the documents for my own reference and research. I cannot replicate it.

"How then can I use these documents when I want to play my role as check and balance of the state government?" Loo queried.

He is all the more unhappy when he was only provided with the Bayan Mutiara contract, while the one on Bayan Bay is not ready.