I HAVE no idea why former Attorney General (AG) Tan Sri Tommy Thomas wrote his memoir "My Story: Justice in the Wilderness" in the way that he did. I do not know him personally, either as a lawyer or when he was AG. So I have no reason to like or dislike him.
However, as a former staff member of the AG's Chambers, I am still distressed when some public figure says negative things about the officials in my former workplace. Remember the old Malay proverb - "When someone pinches your left thigh, your right thigh also hurts"?
As of this last weekend, the following people had been "unhappy" with the book – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad; Datuk Seri Najib Razak; former AG Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi; current AG Tan Sri Idrus Harun; former Solicitor-General III Datuk Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria; and Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. There are others as well, too many to mention here.
This is how a news portal described Dr Mahathir's feeling about the book – "In a lengthy statement, Mahathir said Thomas' account over his resignation as Prime Minister was "quite fantastic" as Thomas did not have knowledge of some of the things he wrote about.
For instance, he denied telling Thomas that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong wanted to appoint then Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Ismail as interim Prime Minister. "This is nonsense" said Mahathir".
As for Najib, his lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee had issued a letter of demand to Thomas demanding an apology for defaming Najib in the book. If no satisfactory reply is received by Friday (Feb 5), he has "clear instructions" to institute legal proceedings.
Najib's younger brother, ex-banker Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, was also clearly upset when Thomas wrote that the May 13 riots were due to a coup by Tun Abdul Razak. "This is pure conjecture on his part. Fifty years on and not a shred of credible evidence has emerged to support this view," said Nazir in his Instagram posting.
Mohamed Apandi has lodged a police report against Thomas, claiming that the latter has "scandalised and humiliated" the officers in the AG's Chambers. Apandi said he made the police report to ensure justice is done, not only for him but for all the officers in the department. Apandi also claimed that Thomas had divulged secrets of national importance in the book, contrary to section 8 of the Official Secrets Act 1972 and section 203A of the Penal Code.
Mohamad Hanafiah had lodged a police report against Thomas for criminal defamation. In the report, Hanafiah said, what Thomas wrote in the book "was not true, as he supposedly made it seem that I was lazy and was not able to handle the prosecution in the SRC International trial."
Hanafiah had been a deputy public prosecutor (DPP) for at least 33 years.
Sepang OCPD, Assistant Commissioner Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof confirmed the case will be investigated under section 500 of the Penal Code for criminal defamation.
Tan Sri Idrus Harun described Thomas' memoir as "an insult to the institution of law". Expressing his confidence in the "abilities, commitment, and dedication" of the officers in his Chambers, the current AG said he is "not influenced by the book that displays the shallow thinking" of Thomas.
For Ahmad Zahid, Thomas had broken his oath to guard and keep government secrets all the time, even if he is no longer in service. He described the publication of the memoir as "an irresponsible act".
"His comments about government officers only waiting for promotions, their salaries at the end of the month and retirement benefits are irresponsible", Zahid added. He also criticised Thomas for his decision regarding the LTTE and the death of fireman Mohammad Adib.
According to a news portal today, the Home Ministry "is scrutinising" the book. I hope the book will not be banned. Let us give the public a chance to read it and form their own judgment.
The book reminds me of the "boomerang principle". According to this eternal rule, every moment of every day in our life, we throw a boomerang. If it is a "good" boomerang, the goodness will come back to us, sooner if not later.
If it is a "bad" boomerang, it will return and whack you from behind.
The writer, a former federal counsel at the Attorney-General's Chambers, is deputy chairman of the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
