YOURSAY | 'The STF is a shot across the bow warning civil servants against spilling the beans.'
Ex-AG goes to court to nullify special task force report
BlueMouse0551: This is absolutely the correct action to take, former attorney-general Tommy Thomas.
The Special Task Force (STF) was formed frivolously and maliciously to bring disrepute to your position as attorney-general and your efforts to bring order to a beleaguered system of incompetence at the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) office due to those who came before you.
Even the ’conflict of interest’ among the STF members was obvious, and the whole process appeared to have a vindictive motive.
You are a magnanimous, honourable person of integrity, reputation and character. Thank you for writing your book, ‘My Story: Justice in the Wilderness’, and exposing the truth.
I wish that there are more people like you.
Vijay47: Going by recent records, there is a widespread public belief that many within the AGC are not equipped with the necessary skills to be worthy of holding such a position - but even his deadliest enemies have never alleged that Thomas suffers a similar deficit.
It follows then that in writing his book, he would not be foolhardy enough to charge into the valley of death cannons to the right, cannons to the left.
He must always have been alert to possible counterattacks, and to ensure that he never crossed lawful lines, his book drafts were vetted by some of the sharpest legal minds in the country, a fact he took great pain to point out several times. It was a veiled caution that went unheeded.
I must grant that my knowledge of the STF’s recommendations is based only on Malaysiakini’s earlier summary.
Going through that condensation, there seemed to be two “neutral proposals” which are not stated to have originated from the book - the creation of the public prosecutor’s post, and secondly, the restriction of the attorney-general from involvement in judicial appointments. The rest of it was fireworks.
The accusations were fast and furious, ranging from revealing sensitive communication involving the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the prime minister and chief justice to Pardons Board proceedings to negotiations involving government contracts. Also included, was the sale of the good ship Equanimity.
But STF (how I squirm whenever I see that acronym!), what about the accusations Thomas himself made, regarding malpractices within the government service and other dirty deeds at the crossroads?
Did those complaints not warrant your probing attention? People may say you only wanted to find the ‘ikan bilis’ (small fry) in the soup and were unmindful of that elephant in the room. But wait, there is more.
The STF report was declassified around the time Parliament was dissolved. A mere coincidence, you say? Maybe.
But in the very next breath, Caretaker Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob stated that he had “declassified the report so it can be used as political bullets” to attack Pakatan Harapan.
Given the incendiary atmosphere of election campaigns, would this not be tantamount to the instigation of violence? Over to you, Elections Commission and Royal Malaysian Police.
Redmann: Witch hunts in Malaysia have become a heinous cult, if not an abominable culture.
Here's a dedicated chief law enforcement officer of the government who saw to it that kleptocracy once proven is to be punished. Period.
Now, for obeying and applying the law, the authorities have begun using his latest published memoir as a battering rod. In this context, I mean ‘authorities’ as represented by 38 Umno MPs.
GE15 will be the final nail in the coffin for kakistocracy and kleptocracy. Seven million young people will see to it, most assuredly.
There is no doubt that the judiciary will view the STF report with the third eye open as well.
Apanama is Back: “Thomas also seeks for the first eight defendants to bear costs without recourse to public funds.”
If the court rules in favour of Thomas, it will be a victory for taxpayers since taxpayers' money will not be used.
Next time, they will think 10 times before saying 'political bullets'. Whack them and ask them to pay from their pocket!
They set up an ‘illegal’ task force and came up with some so-called 'bullets'. Now Thomas is going to return some 'bullets' to you. Prepare to take them.
AnotherKomentar: Regardless of how the suit is finally decided, it’s clear that this David (Thomas) vs Goliath contest reveals how reckless and irresponsible the BN government has become.
By resorting to this report to defame and politicise what Thomas wrote in his book, the intention is to intimidate so that the administration of justice and rule of law would return to be under the exclusive control of Umno.
This general election will decide if Malaysia can carry out all the judicial reforms the country sorely needs. Malaysia will be dammed if the crooks from Umno return to form the next government.
MS: STF, unleashed by the "charge facing" puppeteers of Ismail Sabri is, in a literal sense, a shot across the bow warning civil servants against spilling the beans, regardless of truth and honourable intentions.
In this sense, at least, it should be called Special Task Force Unleashed!
Libra: They will come after you - not that you have done harm to anyone but doing your job as honestly as can you. They will want to harm you for what you did, which was to be true to yourself.
This seems to disturb their sensitive nerves and their fear of the truth. We know, and you know too, continue on and do what is right.
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.
These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.