Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 23.7.2021:
Attorney-General Must Explain The Charges Against Syed Saddiq To Prove That He Performs His Constitutional Duty To Uphold The Law Without Fear Or Favour.
DAP calls for an immediate explanation from the Attorney-General to former Minister and Muar MP Syed Saddiq’s disturbing disclosures of being political persecution and selective prosecution in being charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with two counts of misappropriating his former party (Bersatu) funds to the sum of RM1.12 million yesterday. The Attorney-General must immediately respond as to why Syed Saddiq is charged 4 days before Parliament meets on 26 July when he had signed the prosecution charges in August 2020 and January 2021 respectively.
The delay to file one of the charges almost a year after the order to charge has been executed by the Attorney-General is unprecedented against a public figure and an unusual exercise of the absolute discretion of the Attorney-General to prosecute. Failure to provide full public accountability would only lend credence to Syed Saddiq’s disturbing disclosures that he was threatened and intimidated by the PN government to support Prime Minister Mahiaddin Md Yasin or face the consequences.
The PN government is seen as a complete failure in administering the country, especially the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recession. The office of the Attorney-General is now seen as a failure in carrying out its constitutional duty to uphold the law without fear or favour. This is damaging to the Attorney-General’s ability to perform when he loses all public confidence and credibility, particularly following his previous decision to openly and publicly defy the King’s command for Parliament to be convened as soon as possible.
DAP strongly condemns the weaponization of government agencies and enforcement authorities for political interests, especially after Mahiaddin has lost his parliamentary majority following the withdrawal of support from UMNO. Syed Saddiq is not the first MP to fall victim to such selective prosecution and investigation process, as well as abuse of powers for the political survival of vested interests, and he has said that he will not be the last, with more MPs who refuse to be “obedient” likely to be charged.
Several PKR MPs who jumped to support Mahiaddin, including a former senior Minister, were alleged by PKR to be subjected to similar threats and intimidation from government agencies, specifically from Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission(MACC). Apart from offers of monetary inducement to their MPs which they had reported to MACC, PKR had alleged that investigations by MACC against a particular MP was dropped after the MP had jumped.
DAP expresses full support and solidarity with Syed Saddiq and will stand together against the dishonourable attempts by the PN government to pervert the people’s will and mandate given in the 2018 general elections for PH to rule. From personal experience, this trial will not be easy for Syed Saddiq but the painful journey will temper him into an even stronger leader for the rakyat.
LIM GUAN ENG
民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2021年7月23日在吉隆坡发表的文告：
总检察长必须解释提控赛沙迪的决定，证明他正在履行其宪制责任，无惧无私地维护法律。
前部长兼麻坡国会议员赛沙迪昨日在吉隆坡地庭被控不当挪用以前所属政党（团结党）112万令吉资金，赛沙迪披露这是针对他的政治迫害和选择性起诉。民主行动党促请总检察长立即解释相关指控，以及为何赛沙迪分别在2020年8月和2021年1月签署控状，但当局却迟至国会本月26日复会的前4天才做出提控。
总检察长针对涉及公众人物的案件签立了控状，却延迟接近一年后才做出提控，在我国是前所未有的事，也是总检察长在不寻常地行使其绝对酌情权。总检察长未能提供全面公共问责制，只会让赛沙迪那番令人不安的言论更具有可信度，即他正遭受国盟政府的威胁和恐吓，以使他支持首相马希亚丁，否则后果自负。
国盟政府在治国方面，尤其是在处理新冠疫情和经济衰退上被视为是彻底失败的。而总检察署如今则被视为无法履行其宪制责任，未能无惧无私地维护法律。当总检察长失去公众信任和公信力，将损害其履行职责的能力，特别是他之前曾公开为抗国家元首要求尽快召开国会的谕令。
行动党强烈谴责当局为了政治利益而武器化政府机构和执法单位，尤其是在巫统决定撤回支持进而导致马希亚丁失去国会多数优势后。赛沙迪并不是首个成为这种选择性起诉和调查程序以及滥用权力以谋求即得利益的政治生存的受害者，而他亦表示他将不会是最后一个受害者，会有更多的国会议员因拒绝“听话”而可能被提控。
公正党指控该党数名国会议员，包括一名前高级部长倒戈支持马希亚丁，是因为他们遭到政府机构，尤其是反贪污委员会的类似威胁和恐吓。除了向反贪会投报指他们的议员遭遇金钱诱惑外，公正党还声称有议员倒戈后即获得反贪会撤销对对方的调查工作。
行动党全力支持赛沙迪，并将与其站在同一阵线，对抗国盟政府要颠覆人民在2018年大选时的意愿和让希盟执政的委托的不光彩企图。个人经验而言，这场审判对赛沙迪来说并不是件易事，但这痛苦旅程将磨练着他，使他成为更强大的人民领袖。
林冠英