‘Court decision will help lift lid on cover-up’

PETALING JAYA: DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang ( pix) has applauded the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision to dismiss an application for a gag order on the media and public on the merits of the corruption case involving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.

He said instruments of state had been bent to keep a lid on the 1MDB (1 Malaysia Development Berhad) scandal while top government officials who refused to aid in the cover-up were either sacked, removed from office or browbeaten into silence.

“The High Court’s decision is in keeping with a New Malaysia unlike the era before the 14th general election,” Lim said at the DAP Parit Buntar Branch anniversary dinner on Saturday.

“Government agencies were used to persecute and harass voices which continued to raise questions about the 1MDB scandal, like the censorship of the Sarawak Report website and other internet sites, while the mass media was closely monitored to censor all news about 1MDB.”

The Iskandar Puteri MP said MPs were prohibited from asking questions or pursuing the 1MDB scandal.

“In the last meeting of Parliament in March 2018, Najib rammed through the Anti-Fake News Bill to criminalise all news about the 1MDB scandal which was available worldwide and punishable as fake news with excessive penalties of RM500,000 fine, 10 years’ jail or both,” he said.