KUALA LUMPUR: The police probe into a remark by former attorney-general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas goes against the principle of freedom of expression, which is protected by the Federal Constitution.
Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) said police launched an investigation after Thomas said at a forum last month that the opposition should tell the public that a "Malay government" had failed.
PSM chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, who was a panellist at the forum, was summoned by Bukit Aman's Classified Criminal Investigation Unit (D5) to give a statement on the matter on Thursday, Free Malaysia Today reported.
PSM deputy chairman S. Arutchelvan said Thomas and the other speakers at the forum were entitled to their opinions.
He said summoning those who spoke at a public forum went against the spirit of free speech and freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution.
"The police action is yet another waste of public funds.
"They should instead spend our tax money on better things for the benefit of the people and not entangle themselves in the political vendetta of certain quarters," Arutchelvan was quoted as saying in the news report.
Thomas, at a forum titled "Dark Forces Towards GE15" on Sept 17, had urged the opposition to get voters to ask themselves whether a "Malay government" had made the country better.
He reportedly said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had resigned as prime minister due to the impression that the then government was not "Malay enough".
Other panellists at the forum were human rights lawyer and activist Siti Kasim, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and Gerak Independent co-founder Tawfik Ismail.