Unfair to bring in former PMs, Anwar told amid attempts to cushion fallout from addendum saga

A communications expert says it is unfair of Anwar Ibrahim to link previous leaders to the issue of Najib Razak's house arrest addendum, following the prime minister's concession to its existence last week.

Anwar had acknowledged on Saturday the decree by the former Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, for Najib to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in the SRC International case under house arrest.

"It was Mahathir who ordered his arrest. It was Muhyiddin who prosecuted him. It was Ismail Sabri, during his time, when he was sentenced.

"What did I do? I only allowed him to make an appeal, I gave considerations for him to be treated well in prison, that's all," Anwar said.

However, Abdul Aziz Azizam of Universiti Teknologi Mara asked why the details of the matter were not clearly laid out from the beginning.

"It's unfair to bring in the previous prime ministers," he said to MalaysiaNow.

"The crux of the matter is Najib's proven wrongdoing, not which prime minister should be dragged in."

The Court of Appeal in a 2-1 decision on Jan 6 allowed Najib's bid for a judicial review on the existence of the addendum order.

A number of parties later denied receiving the order, including the prisons department under the home ministry and the legal affairs division of the Prime Minister's Department.

Federal Territories Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa, who sits on the pardons board, meanwhile denied involvement in hiding the addendum order.

Aziz said the chaos had affected public perception of the legal system as well as the monarchy.

"When the people are left in the dark, it will give rise to negative perceptions of the constitutional monarchy which we have upheld since independence," he said.

He added that Anwar should be wiser in handling the issue, given the confusion arising from the government machinery.

Najib has been in prison since losing his final appeal in the SRC International case. His sentence was however reduced from 12 years to six and his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.

Shafizan Mohamed, a communications lecturer at the International Islamic University, said making excuses in high-profile cases such as this was not an option.

"It risks eroding public confidence at a time when the people need decisiveness," he said.

"The government must show that it is taking action. It cannot take this route by saying it doesn't know, which makes things worse for it in terms of reputation."

He also said that the government should have a more proactive communication strategy as many ministers had denied knowledge of the addendum decree.

"It gives the impression that the government doesn't know what should be done or, more dangerous, people will think that the government is hesitant about making a decision."

Aziz meanwhile said that the government's efforts to explain the issue had failed to clear the air.

"One minute it's this, another minute it's that. The ones who should speak up are nowhere to be found," he said.