(Do we have one? Photo source: http://brickwindow.net/)
RPK is finally out…
When I hear Nazri talked about whistle blowers and protections under the law, I recall my earlier post titled “Star Witness”. Remember back then, this bugger said that there was a Witness Protection Act (a revelation to many of us) and then later he was proved to be wrong – there no such thing (he committed a boo-boo but acted as if there was none) but went to say that the Government is going to enact one (probably to save face?).
So many of us was left wondering how whistle blowers will be protected for blowing the cover on corrupt’s wrongdoings. Perhaps after the serious defeat to the Government in last general election, they are finally prepared to put down their foot and say that it is time for the witnesses to be properly protected for the information.
Information that ACA sometimes says that is hard to get for a successful prosecution (oh, never mind the fact that ACA is often seem to be harassing the witness than the wrongdoer – case in point, the Lingam’s case). It’s time to enact Witness Protection Act (or something to that effect lah), ya!
Coming back to this Nazri guy. Now he turns back and says that the Government is NOT going to enact one for they have…wait for this….something better than “WPA”…they have OSA (wow, the convenient sweep under the carpet Act, isn’t it?). He said:-
The Government has no plans to enact a Freedom of Information Act or other laws to protect whistleblowers because the Official Secrets Act (OSA) is sufficient.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday that if there was a need to amend the OSA, the Cabinet could meet and decide on the matter.
And we all know how OSA been “used” in the past – it often used to whack the witness, not the wrongdoer. What is the real purpose of OSA? Is the Government going to take this one Act and “mix the spices” and turn it into a wonder Act?
There is a big difference between Official Secrecy Act, Witness Protection Act, Freedom of Information Act and perhaps Sedition Act (let’s throw this one in whilst we are here). The Government knows that right – that there is a DIFFERENCE?
Interestingly Official Secrecy Act seems to be in conflict with Freedom of Information Act doesn’t it, so perhaps it can be merged with FIA listed in OSA as “exceptions” in small print (hide more things, show less things maybe?). That leaves Witness Protection Act – how does this fit into the whole OSA thing? Prosecute the witness for uncovering something that has been deemed “secret”?
Is this what the new OSA going to look like, Nazri?
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