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REFERENCE is made to your front-page report urging Pakatan Harapan’s Api-Api candidate Thonny Chee on whether he is, indeed, a lawyer as he claimed (DE Nov. 21)

It is surprising that there has been no confirmation nor denial from him. We are concerned that this will affect the chances of PH for that seat on November 29.

We expected him to call for a press conference to show proof that he did graduate from the University of London as stated in his credentials and that he is a member of any of the three Bar Councils in Malaysia. 

His silence has led to social media claims that there are two different versions about his legal qualification which appear in his credentials but which lack consistency. 

In the English version, “University of London” is mentioned but no law degree is stated while the Malay version states that he has a LLB from the United Kingdom (but without the name of the university).

We wonder whether the PKR Candidate Selection Committee was aware of this.

Your paper also reported that he was a Manager with several banks in Kota Kinabalu, including Hong Kong Bank in 2007 and Bank Bumiputra Commerce in 2005. 

We are beginning to wonder if this can also be believed because we understand under Bank Negara rules, it is not easy for someone who holds a management position in one bank to simply take up a similar post in another bank, within two years at that.  

Unless, your reporter did not check the facts. Your paper could have easily checked with the Sabah Law Society on whether he is a member.

Api-Api Voters

Our reporter followed up with Thonny who said he would clarify things in a day or two. In the meantime, we did check with a member of SLS who said they had no such person in their records.

However, to give Thonny the benefit of doubt, it is possible he may have a law degree but is not a practising lawyer. But as you suggest, it is in his and Pakatan’s best interests to explain the actual situation without delay.

As for his bank credentials, it was based on his campaign materials and it is not our job to ascertain whether the candidates, in this case 596 of them, are actually what they claim to be. – Ed 

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