KUALA LUMPUR: An opposition lawmaker today claimed that he has received a notice from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to get his statement recorded.
Tasek Gelugor member of parliament Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan told the Dewan Rakyat today that the matter was related to the statement made during the royal address debate on Feb 28.
Wan Saiful, who is also a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) supreme council member, said the notice has also given unnecessary stress to him as a lawmaker, adding that it was unfair to him as he had retracted his statement.
He also said such notice by the graft buster could threaten MPs' immunity when delivering a speech in the lower house.
"The Speaker (Tan Sri Johari Abdul) has already decided on the matter and it has been resolved. Then why is it that I am continuously harassed by the authorities, particularly MACC (on the matter)?
"I also just received a notice (from MACC) to get my statement recorded over what was being said in this house.
"No one can interfere with the immunity (for lawmakers) under Section 7 of Act 437 (Houses of Parliament Act) and it is not appropriate to go against the Speaker's decision on the matter," he said in the lower house, today.
Following this, Deputy Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Noor echoed that any decision made by the Speaker is final based on the Standing Order 43 of the House.
However, he added that issues mentioned in the house are not subjected to the law unless repeated outside parliament under Article 63 of the Federal Constitution, which refers to parliament privileges.
"Hence, I believe what is being done by MACC is part of the investigation process. However, the authority to decide on the matter lies with the Attorney-General (AG) in line with Article 145 of the Federal Constitution.
"Hence, I feel you should file a police report so that an investigation can also be conducted over powers exercised by MACC which will be decided by the AG."
It was previously reported that Wan Saiful had claimed on been threatened to express support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's leadership. He also claimed that he was contacted by numerous individuals for the purpose.
His allegations had caused uproar in the Dewan Rakyat, which he then retracted following instructions from Johari.
