'Lingam video' report: Pak Lah wants to see contents before deciding whether to go public

'Lingam video' report: Pak Lah wants to see contents before deciding whether to go public

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (right) and Najib Razak facing reporters after today's Umno Supreme Council meeting in Kuala Lumpur. — picture by Choo Choy May

By Debra Chong

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 – The government is still not decided whether to make public the Royal Commission report on the V.K. Lingam video clip. The report was handed over to the King this morning.

After a very long – almost four hours, from 3.30pm – Umno Supreme Council meeting, Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was asked by members of the media if he would reveal the contents of the report. He replied that he had yet to see its contents.

“I haven't seen it yet. After the Cabinet meeting (today), we adjourned for Friday prayers and then came straight here (for the party supreme council meeting). Let me see (the report) first. I want to see

what's in the contents before I decide (to make a public disclosure),” he replied, a little testily.

It emerged that what had transpired behind the closed-door meeting dealt mainly with bread-and-butter issues: the skyrocketing cost of rice, oil, subsidies and such.

Abdullah announced that the shortage of food supplies was a global crisis and that his government was taking steps to ensure that Malaysia would not suffer as a result.

On Monday, an inflation committee would convene to discuss the matter and a statement would be issued after that.

He also announced that Umno had understood and accepted their reduced support at the last general elections. He said steps would be taken to convince those who had supported Umno to continue their support and to bring those who had left the fold to come back. He did not elaborate what the approaches would be though.

Suddenly, a journalist directed a question at Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak. The journalist asked Najib for his comment on former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s allegations that the DPM needed permission from the PM before he could meet with Mahathir.

Najib appeared amused at the random question but declined comment.