Mp Insult To Rakyat If Pardons Board Doesn T Elaborate On Najib Decision

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PKR lawmaker Hassan Karim has lent his voice to growing calls for the Pardons Board to disclose the rationale behind reducing Najib Abdul Razak's prison sentence.
He said leaving the rakyat with just the statement it issued last Friday was unreasonable.
"It is not reasonable and is in fact insulting Malaysians if the Pardons Board through its secretariat only issues a single-page official statement that Najib's sentence is reduced.
"What is reasonable is for the Royal Pardons Board to announce in writing the reasons behind its decision on Najib's pardon application.
"If this can be done, then the rakyat will be satisfied and be ready to respect that decision," Hassan (above) said in a statement today.
On Friday, Najib's prison sentence for the SRC International case was halved from 12 years to six years, and his fine was reduced from RM210 million to RM50 million.
The decision has been widely lamented, with many critics unhappy that Najib was given any leniency.
Others, including Najib himself, were disappointed that he was not granted a pardon.
Former prime minister Najib Abdul RazakHassan had, in his initial response to the decision, hailed it as respecting the courts' conviction of Najib for corruption.
However, there have been growing calls for more transparency behind the Pardons Board's decision.
‘Emulate judges’
In his statement today, Hassan also said the Pardons Board must emulate judges in their bravery.
The Pasir Gudang MP cited how judges are not constitutionally required to give full written judgments but do so anyway.
He said this was the only way to quell unrest over the board's decision after efforts by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and others to call for calm were unsuccessful.
"The board, chaired by the then-Yang di-Pertuan Agong, together with the (de facto) federal territories minister (Dr Zaliha Mustafa), the attorney-general, and three others must be transparent and brave.
"If they were brave in making their decision, then they must be brave enough to present their reasons," he said.
Zaliha, while fending off calls for her to resign over the Pardons Board’s decision on Najib, had said the decision to reduce his sentence was a collective one made by the board.
Others in the government, however, have tried to portray it as being the decision of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, a stance that has been disputed. - Mkini

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