KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — Umno top guns are urging prominent lawyer Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan to speak up and reveal if she is the source on claims PAS was given RM90 million purportedly by the prime minister.
Datuk Seri Salleh Keruak said doing so will help Ambiga clear her name, especially if the claims made in the UK court by Sarawak Report editor Claire Rewcastle-Brown in response to PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang were untrue, the New Straits Times reported today.
“As a lawyer and ex-Bar Council president, Ambiga needs to demonstrate some professionalism suited to her position. If what Rewcastle-Brown said is true, then Ambiga has not acted professionally. The onus is on Ambiga to rebut or respond,” the communications and multimedia minister was quoted saying.
He added that by refusing to comment, Ambiga will fuel more speculation by the public. Based on her silence and the legal documents filed in court, Salleh said most people “will assume it’s true”.
Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the onus is on Ambiga to either show evidence of the alleged payout or if untrue, prove that she was slandered and take legal action against Rewcastle-Brown.
“Wanita Umno is wondering if Ambiga was slandered by Rewcastle-Brown as Ambiga has not done anything to answer this,” she was quoted saying in a statement.
The same news report cited PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad demanding an apology from Ambiga, whom he accused of “giving out false information”.
He said the president of the Malaysian National Human Rights Society who “champions integrity and truth” must clarify the allegations made by Sarawak Report and apologise for her mischief.
PAS leader Abdul Hadi filed a defamation suit against Rewcastle-Brown in London on April 21 after his federal Opposition party was alleged to have been paid to support the Barisan Nasional ruling coalition.
