PUTRAJAYA — The Cabinet never instructed the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to file an application for a gag order regarding the Addendum issue.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who is also the spokesperson for the Unity Government, said that the Cabinet did not discuss the matter today.
“It was not discussed… We (the Cabinet ministers) did not instruct the Attorney General’s Chambers (regarding the Addendum gag order),” he said at the weekly Cabinet meeting press conference at the Ministry of Communications here today.
This comes amid media reports suggesting that the government was planning to apply for a court order to prevent public discussions of the Addendum case, which was first mentioned in the High Court.
Senior Federal Counsel Shamsul Bolhassan told the media that he would file the application on January 20, citing the need to protect the Royal Institution, given the sensitive nature of the matter concerning royalty, religion, and race (3R).
Yesterday, Law Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said expressed her disagreement with the move, noting that the Addendum is already a widely discussed issue.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, also announced the former prime minister’s legal team would oppose the gag order, citing its public interest significance.
Earlier this week, Najib was granted leave by the Court of Appeal to commence judicial review proceedings for an order to compel the government or six other parties to answer and confirm the existence of the Addendum, which was allegedly issued in January last year.
In unrelated matters, Fahmi addressed the widely debated “halal sandwich” controversy.
He confirmed that the Cabinet had not discussed the issue, which surfaced after the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) revealed that the ham-and-cheese sandwich products supplied at Universiti Malaya did not have a Malaysian Halal Certification (SPHM).
In a statement, Jakim said that the company that produced the products was also not a holder of the SPHM.
Fahmi also responded to the issue of over 300 umrah pilgrims, who were stranded after the operator failed to fly them to the holy land.
“Although we did not discuss it (the stranded pilgrims issue), it (such cases) happens frequently.
“I believe the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac), which handles licenses for umrah companies, will issue a statement soon, and I ask you to refer to them,” he said.
Earlier, media reported that the Deputy Minister of Motac, Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, said the umrah operator would face a seven-day suspension of operations after failing to fly 379 umrah pilgrims to the Holy Land on Tuesday. — January 15, 2025
