DAP: AG must clear air on Bible threat dismissal
MalaysiaKini.com
Oct 22, 2014

Attorney-general (AG) Abdul Gani Patail should come forward to explain if he had personally signed off on the parliamentary reply which explained why the threat to burn Bibles is not prosecuted.

DAP’s Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang said that this important not only so Malaysians would know the justifications for such a reasoning but also to know if a cabinet minister is doing the bidding of junior officers.

"If the answer was prepared by a law officer in the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) without the personal approval of the AG himself, does it mean that the minister in the Prime Minister's Department assigned the duties and responsibilities of a de facto law minister is merely an agent not only of the AG, but also of law officers in the AGC?

"If so, this will make an even greater mockery of the powers and responsibilities of the de facto law minister,” he said in a statement.

Lim (left) was referring to the parliamentary reply by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri on whether Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali will be charged for threatening to burn Malay-language Bibles.

In the reply she said he will not be prosecuted as he had no intention to cause disharmony and was defending the sanctity of Islam.

She said he was only responding to claims that copies of the holy book were distributed to Muslim students at a school in Penang.

'Most powerful AG'

In the wake of public outrage, Nancy explained that she was only relaying the AG’s position and that the cabinet does not meddle in prosecutions.

Lim said that if this is so, then the AG is the most powerful AG in the world as he is above cabinet and prime ministerial review.

He also questioned why Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has not stated whether the government or BN agrees with the decision not to prosecute Ibrahim for the threat.

Ibrahim recently admitted that he did say the Bibles should be seized and burned last year, but said his remark was only directed to Muslim parents whose children have been given Bibles.

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