Judicial reforms must not end just because new Chief Justice named, PKR MPs led by Rafizi tells govt
In a statement, they said the recent leadership crisis in the judiciary must not recur, and called for the immediate appointment of judges to fill 31 vacancies to avoid disruptions in judicial administration.
'The recent leadership crisis in the judiciary highlights the need for reforms to strengthen the judicial appointment process, to prevent similar issues from recurring.
'We urge the administration of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim not to consider this matter fully resolved until improvements to the judicial appointment process are presented to the public and implemented.' said the nine MPs led by former PKR deputy president Datuk Rafizi Ramli.
They noted that reactions to Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh's appointment as the Chief Justice has been mixed, pointing to his background as a former Umno leader and the perception that he is a more junior judge.
However, they hoped that Wan Ahmad Farid will accept criticisms to guide and motivate him to defend the independence of the judiciary, to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat.
They stressed that appointments must be based on merit and seniority, in line with the Federal Constitution and the Judicial Appointments Committee (JAC) Act — warning against any interference aimed at orchestrating or influencing judicial appointments.
The group also urged follow-up action on unresolved issues raised in Judicial Appointments Commission meetings, including allegations of attempts to influence court decisions.
Proposals raised included limiting the Prime Minister's rejection powers, automatic JAC appointments from legal fraternities, and involving Parliament in confirming nominations.
Besides Pandan MP Rafizi, the statement was jointly signed by Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Setiawangsa), Wong Chen (Subang), Rodziah Ismail (Ampang), Zahir Hassan (Wangsa Maju), Bakhtiar Wan Chik (Balik Pulau), Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (Ledang), S. Kesavan (Sungai Siput), and Onn Abu Bakar (Batu Pahat).
Court of Appeal Judge Wan Ahmad Farid will be sworn in as the country's 17th Chief Justice on July 28, succeeding Tengku Maimun, who retired on July 2.
Datuk Abu Bakar Jais has been appointed as the new president of the Court of Appeal, while Datuk Azizah Nawawi has been appointed Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak.
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