PETALING JAYA: The organiser of the Nothing2Hide dialogue has blamed a senior official at the Prime Minister's Office for the cancellation of the session on Friday.
Malaysian Volunteer Lawyers Association (SukaGuam) chairman Datuk Khairul Anwar Rahmat said the dialogue might have proceeded if not for the “overly disturbed” official and "his associates."
“Truth is, we met at least three of the Prime Minister’s senior officials to discuss various situations, including the possibility of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad being in attendance.
“However, this senior official and his associates went overboard with some matters, which I conclude to be a clash of egos, eventually making SukaGuam and our supporters the scapegoats and victims of the situation," Khairul Anwar said in a statement on Saturday.
The dialogue between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and NGOs was called off by Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar citing "safety and security reasons."
The session was supposed to be a platform for Najib to answer the public’s queries on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), among other issues.
According to Khairul Anwar, Najib’s officers were generally positive about the developments because Najib himself showed confidence in the ability to answer the questions to be thrown at him.
He said Dr Mahathir had admitted that he was not officially invited but attended as a guest after it was publicised in the media.
He said he had explained to the Prime Minister what happened on Friday, and "from his expression, I believe he understood what I was trying to say. We only hope he will take stern action against this senior official."
Khairul Anwar said the back up plan in the event of a cancellation was to have Najib and Dr Mahathir together in a room having a conversation "over a cuppa" as security issues would not have been a factor if the meeting was held behind closed doors.
However, Khairul Anwar alleged that the officer intentionally prevented Najib’s arrival by exaggerating the situation at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) and saying Najib could be boo-ed if he attended.
“For this particular official and his associates, you know who you are, stop making SukaGuam and our friends the scapegoats, stop the personal attacks, rumours and accusations.
“If this continues, especially by your agents, we will not hesitate to expose the truth, along with proof and witnesses,” he said.
The PMO said it would look into SukaGuam's claims.
“We have been made aware of this. However, at that point of time, it is necessary for us to adhere to IGP’s order for the Prime Minister not to attend the programme,” said a spokesman.
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