KUALA LUMPUR – Bersatu’s Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan (Tasek Gelugor-PN) has been advised to lodge a police report after he claimed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has contacted him over recent contentious remarks made in Parliament.
Wan Saiful said the actions were unfair and put unnecessary pressure on him while raising Article 43 of the Standing Orders, which states that the decisions made by the House’s speaker shall not be open to appeal and shall not be reviewed by the House except upon a substantive motion.
“I am continuously disturbed by the authorities, especially the MACC. I just received a notice to record my statement over what I said in the august House,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.
“The MACC’s actions breach not only the lawmakers’ immunity under Section 7 of the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act 1952, but also insult the speaker and the House’s decisions.”
Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor suggested the MP lodge a report so the police can investigate any misuse of power by the MACC and also for the agency to investigate its jurisdiction under the MACC Act.
Nonetheless, Ramli suggested that the actions by the MACC were part of its investigation process.
Previously, Wan Saiful caused a heated argument in the Dewan Rakyat after claiming he was induced to support Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with an offer to have his corruption charges dropped.
He later said he was contacted by an “MACC officer” asking him to contact the agency, mere hours after speaking at the House.
Wan Saiful ultimately apologised and retracted his statement after being rebuked by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi later filed a motion to suspend Wan Saiful for six months over the statement, but quickly retracted it after the lawmaker apologised and retracted his allegedly slanderous statement.
At the same time, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki denied the claim, saying that none of his officers had reached out to the lawmaker over the matter. – March 14, 2024