JASIN: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has questioned why DAP is directing Malaysians to seek answers from the Palace over Datuk Seri Najib Razak's house arrest when the matter could have been raised through Parliament.
Speaking at a Perikatan Nasional ceramah in Kesang Tua, Bemban, on Wednesday night (Nov 11), Dr Wee was responding to former DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua's suggestion that further questions on the matter be directed to the Palace.
He said it was contradictory for political leaders to claim they respected the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's prerogative while expressing disagreement with the King's decision.
"How can you say you respect the King's prerogative but then say you disagree with the King? What are you talking about?" he said.
Referring to Pua's Facebook post, Dr Wee questioned whether it was responsible to direct the public to seek answers from the Palace.
"Why tell the people to go and ask the King? Is that a responsible thing to do?" he asked.
He also questioned why the government had not attempted to amend the relevant constitutional provisions if it disagreed with the existing arrangement.
"You have been Prime Minister for almost four years and have the support of 154 MPs. If you think the Constitution cannot be applied this way, why didn't you try to amend it?" he said.
Dr Wee said political leaders should have raised their objections through the proper channels rather than waiting until a decision had been made before expressing disagreement.
He said he had consistently maintained that the royal prerogative of pardon must be respected, citing his position when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim received a royal pardon.
"When Anwar received his pardon, I accepted it. It was a decision made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and I respected it because it is provided for under the Constitution," he said.
Anwar received a full royal pardon on May 16, 2018, following a meeting of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, chaired by the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V. He was released from prison on the same day.
Anwar had been serving a five-year prison sentence following his conviction for sodomy, which was upheld by the Federal Court in 2015.
Dr Wee said the same principle applied to Najib, who was entitled to seek a pardon under the law.
Dr Wee also criticised what he described as inconsistency among political leaders in their approach to the issue.
"Don't say one thing in front and another behind closed doors. That is the problem," he said.
In a Facebook post on Nov 11, Pua said His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia had stated that the Attorney-General and the Federal Territories Minister had presented the government's case to him, but that the decision to grant Najib clemency was the King's prerogative.
Pua said further questions should therefore be directed to the Palace.
