PETALING JAYA: Former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming has come out to defend his DAP colleague Tony Pua, who is under investigation over remarks against the commutation of Najib Razak’s sentence in the SRC International case.
“Remember what Pua did to reveal the magnitude of the 1MDB scandal when he was MP. The people of Malaysia are still paying billions of ringgit on the debts incurred as a result of this scandal.
“I hope the leaders of Pakatan Harapan do not forget,” he said in a social media posting.
Police said yesterday that Pua will give his statement at Bukit Aman tomorrow in an investigation into his remarks, which allegedly insulted royalty.
Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said remarks such as those in Pua’s posts “are seditious in nature as they incite the public to harbour resentment and disrespect towards the royal institution”.
Muda secretary-general Amir Hadi also backed Pua, saying he did not see what was insulting or disrespectful in the DAP man’s remarks. He said he stood in solidarity with Pua, and added: “Abolish the Sedition Act.”
On Friday, the Federal Territories Pardons Board announced that Najib’s prison sentence had been reduced from 12 years to six, and a fine of RM210 million had also been reduced to RM50 million.
In response, Pua posted several sarcastic Facebook posts, which later prompted Umno Youth to lodge police reports against him.
Pua was MP for Petaling Jaya Utara when he brought up the 1MDB scandal in the Dewan Rakyat in 2010. He also held many roadshows on the scandal in 2017, in the leadup to the 14th general election in 2018 which resulted in Barisan Nasional falling out of power.
