All information in Tommy Thomas’ book must be exposed, says Zahid
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno wants all the information in former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas’ memoirs to be exposed, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Umno president welcomed the government’s decision to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the book.
“All information, documents and secret agendas must be uncovered. Aza (Datuk Seri Azalina Othaman Said), this is your responsibility.
“If you fail, Umno will fail. If you succeed, the party rewards you,” he said in his opening speech at the Umno general assembly on Friday (Jan 13).
Azalina is the Law and Institutional Reform Minister.
On Jan 11, Azalina said the government had agreed to a proposal to establish a RCI to probe the allegations in Thomas’ controversial memoir.
She said the decision was made following recommendations made by the special task force investigating Thomas’ memoir “My Story: Justice in The Wilderness”.
She added that the RCI would focus on finding recommendations to reform the country’s legal institution and not to find fault with any particular party.
She said that the detailed terms of the RCI, its membership and duration would be proposed by the government later.
“The aim of the RCI is to seek the truth and put forward recommendations to the government on reforming the nation’s legal institution and not to find fault with any particular party,” she noted.
On Sept 30, former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob directed an immediate investigation over Thomas’ allegations in the book about the judiciary, among others.
The special task force, chaired by Sarawak Legal Adviser and former state attorney general Datuk Seri Fong Joo Chung, identified 19 important issues in the book that required the government’s attention.
Published last year, Thomas’ book was criticised by various quarters including the Attorney General’s Chambers, lawyers, politicians and some of the public for allegedly containing elements of incitement, insults and defamation.
More than a hundred police reports were lodged against Thomas over his book.
Thomas was appointed as the attorney general under the Pakatan Harapan government in 2018 but resigned after the administration collapsed in February 2020.