Tommy Thomas broke his oath - Ahmad Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is of the opinion that the writings of former Attorney-General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas in a book titled “My Story: Justice in the Wilderness” should not have been made public.

He said this was because Tommy had broken his oath to guard and keep government secrets at all times, even if he no longer holds the post.

“It is the main thrust in government departments that when information obtained by any officer is classified as ‘top secret’, ‘secret’ or ‘confidential’, it is subject to the Official Secrets Act and should not be shared with the public, let alone be used to boost the book by highlighting his opinions and not facts,” he said in a statement today.

He said Tommy’s action of belittling the Deputy Public Prosecutor and the entire Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) in the book could also invite negative perceptions from the public regarding the ability and capability of officers in the AGC.

He said Tommy's comments that government officers were only waiting for promotions, their salaries at the end of the month and retirement benefits were irresponsible, especially coming from someone who used to head the department itself.

“What is more worrying are the factual inaccuracies and the writings are more towards being manipulated to sow hatred and slander towards UMNO and Barisan Nasional as well as individuals named, political leaders and departments he used to head with the aim of distorting the people’s trust in the government,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said that Tommy’s comments regarding the May 13 incident, as written in the book, were seen as being insensitive to the community, including allegations linking Tun Abdul Razak Hussein to the tragedy and, thus, undermining the credibility of the former prime minister.

He said the book depicted Tommy as an individual who could not keep secrets, liked the attention and wanted publicity for himself.

“As such, I urged the people not to be influenced by the writings, which are Tommy Thomas’ own views,” he said.

-- BERNAMA