GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan has urged the government to reconsider its decision to classify the Council of Eminent Persons’ (CEP) 100-day report as an official secret and instead make the document public.
Party president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government’s decision to classify the CEP 100-day report under the Official Secrets Act 1972 was another abuse and betrayal of public trust.
“PH, in its manifesto, promised to repeal the OSA. However, the law is still being used today to classify the CEP’s 100-day report,” he said today.
Lau said the explanations given by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Hanipa Maidin by citing that the report needed to be protected and many countries also needed it was a lame and unacceptable excuse.
He said even DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, CEP chairman and former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin and economist and CEP member Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram had previously suggested the report be made public.
Lim even called for the 100 day CEP report to be tabled as White Paper in Parliament.
“The report is a matter of public interest concerning all Malaysians and their daily lives. Malaysians were informed in May 2018 that the CEP was established to advise the government on economic and financial matters.
“It is believed that the report does not contain contents or information about national security or military strategy, why it is placed under OSA if not for political reasons?” he asked.
He further questioned if there were any suggestions in the report that the government could not or would not implement because of lack of political will and out of political considerations.
Lau said classifying the report under the OSA was defeating the purpose of setting up the CEP in the first place.
“Apparently the government treats the CEP as a publicity gimmick to appease public expectations and cover up ministerial inexperience and incompetence.
“By setting up such a bad precedent, will the government refuse to publish reports from other important special committees such as the National Economic Action Council, Electoral Reform Committee and many more by classifying their reports under the OSA as well, and not implementing any suggestion by keeping them away from public knowledge?” he asked.
The PH government, Lau said, had vowed to uphold and enhance credibility, accountability and transparency in differentiating itself from the previous government.
“Unfortunately, they continue to fail the people. They must not hide from public scrutiny and being accountable to the people.
“Gerakan urges the PH government to reconsider its decision and make the CEP’s 100-day report public,” he said.