Zahid thanks Azalina for coordinating addendum gag order efforts

Summary

• DPM expresses appreciation to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said for coordinating efforts to seek a gag order on the royal addendum issue.

• Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's move, however, seems bizarre as Azalina had previously opposed the gag order application.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has expressed appreciation to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said for coordinating efforts to seek a gag order on the royal addendum issue.

Zahid said although the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) was the one to suggest the gag order application over the addendum allowing ex-premier Najib Abdul Razak house arrest, Azalina had played a part in the process.

“I must thank Azalina for coordinating the matter with the AGC,” he said during a press conference in Parliament today.

Zahid’s remarks seemed bizarre considering that on Jan 14, Azalina had expressed opposition to the AGC’s decision

“In my personal opinion, there shouldn’t be a gag order.

“Number one, the matter is already in the public domain.

“Number two, Parliament is going to sit next month (February). So, all this will be raised again,” she had said.

AGC’s application

On Jan 20, Najib’s counsel Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee confirmed with Malaysiakini that the AGC filed the application at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Previously, it was reported that the government would seek a gag order from the civil court over the entire proceedings.

According to a copy of the application Malaysiakini sighted, the government sought the gag order to restrain any party, including the media, from publishing, broadcasting, or disseminating anything related to the ongoing judicial review.

The applicant sought the gag order over the dissemination that could cause public discussion and speculation that trigger doubt, questioning, challenge or insult against the prerogative of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

However, the AGC’s move drew brickbats from several quarters, including other BN leaders.

MCA vice-president Lawrence Low said the move runs contrary to the government’s previous stand in championing transparency, while Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi warned that the decision would only worsen the trust deficit towards Putrajaya.

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