KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has lashed out at the government Backbenchers Club (BBC) for accusing him of slander in his recent parliamentary speech, calling their response a deflection from the real issue at hand.
Speaking at a special press conference in Parliament today, Hamzah (Larut-PN) clarified that his remarks were misrepresented, particularly regarding his alleged accusations of betrayal by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Firstly, they claim there is no element of betrayal from the PM. That’s correct – I never said that. If you watch my video again, I clearly stated that ‘if’ the government had concealed the addendum after a court ruling, then it would be a betrayal.
“Who betrayed? Those who hid it. It could be one, two, or three individuals, we don’t know. But definitely, it was the government because they were the ones who received it, not us (the opposition),” he said.
Hamzah reiterated that the matter needs to be investigated thoroughly as the opposition had no access to the addendum.
“All we know is that the court made a decision, and the government held onto the addendum. Who exactly? That’s what needs to be determined,” he asserted.
Slamming BBC for accusing the opposition of manipulating facts, Hamzah dismissed the claim as baseless.
“I spoke clearly. What did I manipulate? Who first brought up the addendum? It was the MPs, and the opposition later raised the issue too. These are based on facts. The court ruled that an addendum exists, and only after that ruling did the PM come forward and admit its existence. So what facts did I distort?”
He then took a swipe at the government backbenchers, mocking them as “Bad Benchers” rather than backbenchers for their failure to engage in meaningful debate.
On the government’s insistence that it has always upheld the royal institution and made decisions in accordance with the constitution, Hamzah questioned the sincerity of such claims.
“They say my statement is inciting the rakyat. I’m only asking a simple question: If the PM and the government are so close to the royal institution and the Kings, then why, when the Bera MP (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri) first raised the question in March 2024 about the addendum, didn’t they just ask?
“If you are close to the King, you should have called and clarified immediately. Don’t tell me you meet the King before cabinet meetings but never brought this up?” he said.
Hamzah accused the government of failing the “tender principle”, urging them to be honest and transparent in governance.
“If in March, the Bera MP asked, and at that time everyone pretended not to know, as a PM who respects the King, what should have been done?
“Simply ask the question – to the attorney-general, the ministers, or even directly to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of the day. Why wasn’t this done?” He said. – February 6, 2025