KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's aide has fired back at MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong for saying the principle of sub judice did not apply in Malaysia's legal system.
"Did Tommy Thomas, the attorney-general at the time, abolish the sub judice rule, and Wee choose to adopt Thomas' perspective over the current A-G's stance to position himself as a champion by pressuring the prime minister to continue commenting on the ongoing case?
"Is Wee so desperate that he has to interpret the law to suit his preferences?" wrote Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim, Anwar's political secretary in his role as finance minister, on X.
Kamil questioned Wee's reasoning for publicly pushing the prime minister to comment on the case, particularly given that the Pahang palace had chosen to respect the legal process by refraining from making any public statements.
"We understand that this may be one of Wee's attempts to stay relevant in the eyes of certain parties by repeatedly pressuring the prime minister, even though the prime minister has already provided a thorough explanation.
"Has Wee forgotten that (Datuk Seri) Najib Razak was imprisoned during (Datuk Seri) Ismail Sabri's time as the prime minister, yet he (Wee) was not as vocal in defending Najib (then)?
"This country is governed by the rule of law. There are established processes and rules in place and these should be respected."
On Friday, Wee, in a Facebook video, dismissed Anwar's refusal to confirm the existence of a royal addendum for Najib, attributing it to the principle of sub judice.
Wee, who is Ayer Hitam member of parliament, said sub judice did not apply in Malaysia's non-jury legal system.
He said the existence of a royal addendum was a straightforward "yes or no" issue.
Wee said this in response to Anwar's remarks in the Dewan Rakyat recently, where he expressed concerns about sub judice preventing discussion of the alleged addendum.