KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 — The police must accord due respect to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and carry out any investigation against the 89-year-old “discreetly”, Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said today amid questions for action against the Umno politician.
The deputy home minister told reporters that this was because Dr Mahathir was a former prime minister.
“You should be asking the police… but in any normal case, if there is a report, the police will carry out an investigation.
“It may be discreet, it may be quiet, it may even not be given publicity at all… but you must remember, Tun M was the former prime minister, the longest serving prime minister and you must give him due respect,” the Santubong MP said when met in the Parliament here.
“If there is any investigation based on the reports taken, I am sure it will be done discreetly by the police, but of course the police will do what is necessary… nobody can escape the law and nobody is above the law,” he added.
Last week, the Penang chapter of Solidariti Anak-Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) urged Dr Mahathir to be investigated for sedition over blog posts attacking Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
SAMM Penang co-ordinator Mohd Aidil Fitri Ibrahim, who lodged a police report against the former prime minister, added that the group gave the police 10 days to take action against Dr Mahathir.
“He should be investigated for the issues he brought up in his blog, especially with his recent posts that are intended to smear the name of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak,” he said after lodging the report at the Bayan Baru police station here.
Mohd Aidil accused Dr Mahathir of making seditious remarks with his questions on the motive for the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu and demand for police to investigate former commando Sirul Azhar Umar’s claim he killed her under orders.
He further noted that Mahathir also allegedly cast aspersions on Putrajaya over the debts of state-owned investment firm 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Mohd Aidil said what Dr Mahathir wrote on his blog was clearly meant to incite hatred in the people against the prime minister.
“If Pakatan Rakyat leaders were to bring this up, it would be deemed seditious but when Mahathir brings this up, nothing happens to him,” he claimed.
On March 13, Dr Mahathir warned Barisan Nasional that it risked losing votes in the next general election if Putrajaya fails to adequately answer the numerous allegations levelled against 1MDB.
He urged Putrajaya to initiate a forensic audit on the state-owned firm, in addition to the Auditor General’s scrutiny of its accounts, in order to provide satisfactory explanations to the allegations surrounding 1MDB.
On April 2, Dr Mahathir insisted that police must investigate former commando Sirul Azhar Umar’s claim that he killed the Mongolian under orders, while expressing disappointment over Putrajaya’s attempts to fend off allegations surrounding the heavily indebted state investment firm.
However, the next day, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said Dr Mahathir’s posts were not seditious.
