Wan Azizah: Rafizi should be commended, not muzzled
PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is concerned over police investigations on the party's strategic director Rafizi Ramli, for his Ampang light rail transit extension project revelations, saying he should be commended, not suppressed by the authorities.
PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is concerned over police investigations on the party's strategic director Rafizi Ramli, for his Ampang light rail transit extension project revelations, saying he should be commended, not suppressed by the authorities.
Wan Azizah said yesterday that CID director Bakri Zinin had announced the formation of a task force to probe the case for possible breach of the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
The police seem disinterested in the disclosure itself, that a vital tender was assigned to an unqualified bidder, George Kent Bhd, and involves Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, she added.
"Neither party is under investigation either by the police nor the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), " Wan Azizah (
left
) pointed out.
Alleging the authorities are more interested in defending the OSA, which Wan Azizah described as a draconian law shielding those in power.
She also questioned the need for a public infrastructure project contract to be paid for with people's money being treated as a national secret.
"Will the details compromise our national security," she asked, adding it appears that the high-level police investigation of Rafizi is intended to protect the PM and intimidate and harass the former.
Penalised for doing duty
"Rafizi has exposed the abused funds. He should be commended not suppressed," said the PKR president.
Yesterday, Bakri announced the setting-up of a high-powered task force headed by his deputy Hadi Ho Abdullah, to probe the alleged leak of secret government documents related to the RM1 billion LRT extension project.
Rafizi (
right
) had alleged that although Balfour Beatty-Invesys Consortium submitted the lowest bid,
the interference
from Najib resulted in the project going to a consortium led by George Kent.
Najib had meanwhile denied the claims, while the MACC had begun investigations.
Wan Azizah described Bakri's statement as displaying an obvious bias in Najib's and Barisan Nasional's favour.
"The police leadership has failed to maintain independence and betrayed public trust.
"If they want to restore their credibility, then stop this charade, cease the OSA probe and instead investigate Najib's suspected role in the Ampang LRT-extension contract," the PKR president said.
