IPOH, July 13 — Deputy public prosecutors should get the advice of the attorney general (AG) for follow-ups before taking action on all criminal cases that originated before the landmark GE14, Lim Kit Siang said today.
Alternatively, they could read up on the Pakatan Harapan government’s manifesto — which contains its law reform promises made for the general election last year — to avoid future missteps in court.
“To avoid the Wan Ji mishap from happening again, all DPPs should read the Pakatan Harapan Manifesto on New Malaysia and seek any new instructions from the attorney general if they had queries especially with regard to cases before the last general elections,” the Iskandar Puteri MP said in a statement.
“The clarification from AG Tommy Thomas that he was not aware of prosecution’s cross-appeal Wan Ji’s case until a new sentence was issued on Tuesday has laid to rest concerns of government to restore liberty and justice to Malaysian,” he added.
Lim was referring to the case of Islamic preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussain who lost his appeal against a sedition conviction earlier this week that also resulted in his nine-month jail sentence raised to 12.
Wan Ji spent two days at the Kajang Prison before the High Court allowed a stay of execution pending the conclusion of his appeals.
The 37-year-old who is a member of PKR was convicted for making remarks against Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor seven years ago.
His case triggered an uproar as the government made an election promise to repeal the Sedition Act 1948, a legislation criticised as draconian as it allows for a person to be pronounced guilty without the need to prove injury for the offence.
*A previous version of this story contained an error which has since been corrected.
