PUTRAJAYA: Two issues that have dominated headlines recently – a gag order on publicly talking about a royal decree on Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house arrest and a ham-and-cheese sandwich with a halal logo – were not discussed by the Cabinet yesterday.
“It was not discussed and we did not instruct the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC),” said the Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who is also the government spokesman, during his weekly post-Cabinet meeting press briefing yesterday.
The AGC is applying for a gag order to prevent public discussion on an addendum that Najib claimed would allow him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.
The former prime minister is currently serving a six year jail sentence after being found guilty of swindling money from SRC International Sdn Bhd.
Najib is challenging the government to reveal the existence of an addendum order allegedly issued by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan – representing the Federal Territories Pardons Board, the government and five others – made the application orally in court on Jan 12. He cited “sensitive issues” as the reason for the application.
However, two days later Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said there was no need for a gag order as the issue was already being discussed widely and that it would be raised again in Parliament next month.
However, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) believes that the AGC has its reasons to apply for the gag order, and that the judiciary must be allowed to act independently on the matter.
“To be fair, I think the AGC has its legal reasons and they will submit to the courts. So let the courts decide on the matter,” she said.
Meanwhile, Fahmi also said “the Cabinet was not served sandwiches today” in reference to a recent controversy over ham-and-cheese sandwich packs with a Malaysian halal logo sold in Universiti Malaya.
In a statement, KK Super Mart said the sandwich supplier, Shake And Bake Cafe Sdn Bhd, had provided a halal certificate for the chicken ham and cheese layers for reference.
Authorities revealed that the food item was not halal certified while the company that produced it was not a Malaysian halal certificate holder.
KK Super Mart has since stopped all business dealings with the sandwich supplier and is taking them to court.
