KUALA LUMPUR – The government will be submitting a list of members for the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate Tan Sri Tommy Thomas’ book My Story: Justice in the Wilderness, said Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The deputy prime minister said the list will be tabled by Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, the law minister, to the cabinet and to obtain the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“The cabinet approved the establishment of the RCI, but basically a task force was created, but Tommy Thomas took legal action against the members of the task force. So the basis of the details contained in the task force may be backed up by the new RCI members who have not yet been appointed.
“I feel that the [law minister] should submit a name list to the cabinet to get the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for this RCI to speed up its work,” he said after officiating the Makkal Sakti Party’s annual general meeting here today.
Earlier, Azalina said the government expressed its approval for the establishment of the RCI to comprehensively examine issues related to the integrity and independence of the country’s judiciary and legislation.
The book written by Thomas, which was published in January 2021, became controversial when the former attorney-general in his book claimed to have held discussions with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, when both were in government, in the appointment of the chief justice, president of the Court of Appeal and chief justice for Sabah and Sarawak.
Regarding Makkal Sakti’s annual general meeting, Zahid who also chairs Barisan Nasional (BN), said he would consider giving a senator post to Friends of BN, of which the Indian-based party is a member.
He also called on all BN component parties and Friends of BN to make the eradication of the urban poor, a struggle in support of the unity government’s efforts to eradicate poverty.
“The problem of urban poverty is not only an Indian problem, the Malays and Chinese also have urban poor, so the prime minister’s desire to eradicate extreme poverty must have everyone’s support because this is a national agenda and not a political agenda,” he said.
Earlier, Makkal Sakti president Datuk Seri R.S Thanenthiran in his keynote speech requested Zahid to consider granting a senatorial post to the party’s leaders, as well for its application to become a BN component to be scrutinised. – September 10, 2023