In a statement today, Haniff said that Nur Jazlan had no right to make a general statement that all practising lawyers in Malaysia are arrogant and told the Umno deputy minister to stop misleading the public into thinking that expressing dissent towards the government was a crime.
“Isn’t Nur Jazlan the one who is arrogant. Or is he trying to divert the issue after making a statement that Dr Mahathir is being investigated under Section 124C?” he said.
Haniff, who is also former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s lawyer, was responding to Nur Jazlan’s statement on Wednesday when the minister was quoted as saying “who says we are not investigating Mahathir under Section 124C?Whether or not we want to take this to the next stage is a different matter”.
Among others who are currently being probed under Section 124C are Bersih leaders, including Maria Chin Abdullah, the Bar Council, Lawyers for Liberty, and MalaysiaKini.
Yesterday, Haniff told Nur Jazlan that if the latter was not familiar with the law, he should seek the views of his officers rather than make statements intended to scare the public.
However, Nur Jazlan dismissed Haniff’s remarks as arrogant and added that Haniff was a lawyer of great repute but as a professional accountant, he found the statement arrogant and condescending, a common attitude among lawyers in the country.l
Haniff said the statement was made by Nur Jazlan in his capacity as a deputy home minister and not as a professional accountant.
“Thus, the issue is not related and that is the basis of my comment,” said Haniff.
The lawyer dismissed Nur Jazlan’s statement that the “definition of the law” was about the interpretation of the purposes and meanings of statutes.
The Umno deputy minister had said: “My interpretation would be different to his. At the end of the day, when the legal matter is brought to the courts, the judges would have to decide, not just the two of us.”
However, Haniff said Nur Jazlan was wrong in his statement. He said the interpretation of the law was based on a interpretation of principles recognised by law and cannot be interpreted at will by anyone.
“That is why I have said that on criminal law and the application of Section 124C of the Penal Code, in particular, Nur Jazlan should take the advice of lawyers, and not of anyone else,” he added.