BUKIT MERTAJAM – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has refuted claims that the government is concealing a royal addendum related to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house imprisonment, asserting that the issue was never raised during the Federal Territories Pardons Board meeting last year.
Addressing the matter publicly for the first time after calls for clarification from various parties, Anwar said the topic did not come up during the session he attended.
“This is the situation. It is not that we (the government) are hiding it (the addendum),” he said during his speech at the Program Muhibbah Madani 2025 event at the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) here.
Anwar also said that the addendum was never part of the meeting’s agenda. The prime minister also said that he chose not to comment on the issue due to the fact that it involved the royalty.
He also said after the Pardons Board decided to reduce Najib’s jail sentence and fine, the decision was relayed to the Director-General of the Prisons Department to be implemented.
“After that, what was said as the addendum letter was given to (the then) Attorney General, not to me or other FTPB members.
“When the King was replaced, (it was) handed over to the Istana Negara since it is the King that chairs (the board). That was the situation. It is not that we hid it (the addendum),” said Anwar.
“It was advised by the AG to the King (in the meeting) that the King has the absolute power in making any decisions that were made in the meeting, not outside of it.
“This matter was not raised in the meetings that both myself and (Federal Territories Minister) Dr Zaliha Mustafa attended,” he added.
Earlier today, Bersatu Supreme Council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan urged the Conference of Rulers to act swiftly, accusing Anwar of defying the institution over the contentious royal addendum involving Najib’s imprisonment conditions.
In a strongly worded social media statement, the Tasek Gelugor MP accused the prime minister of evading questions and labelled his avoidance as disrespectful to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“Anwar continues to dodge questions regarding the royal addendum. This is not just a personal failing; it’s an act of treason against the monarchy. This behaviour opens the door to a constitutional crisis,” Wan Saiful asserted.
He further claimed that Anwar’s actions were fostering public concern that royal decrees were being disregarded, thereby damaging trust between the monarchy and the government.
In his Facebook post, Wan Saiful included a video showing reporters asking Anwar about the royal addendum. The footage ends with the prime minister waving off questions as he departs in his car.
The controversy began when Najib’s legal team alleged that a royal decree permitted him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. However, the Prime Minister’s Department’s Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) refuted this, stating no formal notification had been received from the palace.
In a statement issued yesterday, BHEUU confirmed that all Pardons Board matters had followed established legal procedures. It also noted that no additional documents regarding Najib’s case had been recorded or communicated by the palace.
On January 6, the Court of Appeal granted Najib permission to seek a review of the purported addendum, intensifying scrutiny over the issue.
“The key issue is whether the prime minister and the government can ignore a written decree from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong simply because the King has changed,” Wan Saiful said.
“Are we supposed to believe the prime minister was unaware of this decree for an entire year? If that is the case, who is lying?”
“If the reason is that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has changed, is the government implying that royal decrees have an ‘expiry date’? This risks turning the monarchy into a farce.”
He warned that failing to resolve the issue would undermine both the monarchy and the nation’s constitutional framework.
“This is a matter of trust between the government and the monarchy. Ignoring it will erode respect for the rulers’ authority and set a dangerous precedent where royal decrees can be dismissed at will,” Wan Saiful concluded, calling for an urgent meeting of the Conference of Rulers to safeguard the monarchy’s sanctity. – January 11, 2025
