Alleged royal addendum: Public has the right to know – Hamzah

Summary

• Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin affirms the public’s right to question the existence of the alleged royal addendum under constitutional freedom of expression.

• He urges government transparency on the alleged addendum to uphold respect for the monarchy.

The public has the right to ask questions on the alleged existence of the royal addendum that would allow former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, said Opposition Leader Hamzah Zainudin.

“The public has the right to demand this under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression and it cannot be denied by any quarters,” said the Bersatu deputy president in a statement today.

Article 10 of the Federal Constitution guarantees citizens the right to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association.

Yesterday, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki announced that his party has called off its rally for Najib, who would be attending a court hearing on that same day regarding the purported royal addendum.

This comes after a statement from Istana Negara on the king’s pardon prerogative and a warning from the inspector-general of police not to attend the rally.

However, PAS, Bersatu’s ally in the Perikatan Nasional coalition, indicated that it would press ahead with the rally.

“The solidarity rally is about defending the Agong’s powers and prerogative from being manipulated, apart from supporting Najib’s efforts to get justice under the same principles.

“As such, PAS has no plans to revise our earlier call to our members in regard to the peaceful rally scheduled on the same day, time, and place mentioned,” its secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan was reported as saying.

Come clean

On that note, Hamzah urged the government to come clean on the alleged royal addendum.

If it exists, the Larut MP said the government must explain why it was not executed.

Hamzah reminded the government and related agencies that they have a responsibility to execute any decree made by the palace according to existing laws, including any supplementary order made.

“This is important as any act to disobey, hide, or deny a decree made by the monarch, including the alleged royal addendum, can be constituted as an act of insolence against the king and country,” he said.

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