He was commenting on a recording that went viral, purportedly of a call between Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

In a Facebook post, Tian Chua said it was clearly part of an organised and coordinated assault to tarnish the reputation of political opponents of the Perikatan Nasional-led government.

“Whether the tape is real or fake, the malicious viral message was circulated in a methodical and targeted manner.

“This unscrupulous criminal act warrants a thorough investigation by law enforcement bodies such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC),” he said.

Tian Chua added that if a third party was involved, this would be a deplorable infringement of privacy and personal space.

He said citizens should be alarmed and angry if authorities were secretly monitoring people who were critical of those in power.

“The covert practice of phone tapping is not only illegal, but it is also a gross violation of political freedom.

“We should not tolerate government agencies involved in spying on political parties, journalists, activists from non-governmental organisations or anyone who does not support the government,” he said.

The former Batu MP also said no democracy allows a government to illegally pry into one’s private life.

“A government that tries to secure power through illegitimate and unethical means will inevitably fall.”

Both Zahid and Anwar have since denied speaking to each other after the Umno annual general assembly last month.

Umno Supreme Council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi has also decried the recording as a “conspiracy of the highest level” and said the act of leaking it was politically motivated.