Breaching cabinet's secrecy oath during a debate in the Dewan Rakyat is not a crime, opined former law minister Zaid Ibrahim.

"It is not a crime to violate cabinet secrecy. It is a norm or convention observed to facilitate effective rule of the party in power.

"In any event, it (the secrecy oath) only covers minutes of cabinet’s meetings and not the entire subject matter," Zaid told Malaysiakini.