The real issue behind the CJ debate
COMMENT | Yesterday, former Federal Court judge Suriyadi Halim Omar added his voice to the growing list of elite defenders of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat following her speech in Malta.
His words were kind, his tone reassuring, and his praise for her integrity sincere.
But with due respect, we must ask: when did this debate become about character, rather than the Constitution?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malaysiakini
3 hours ago
- Malaysiakini
Warisan legal adviser pushes for louder Sabah voice in judiciary, JAC
Warisan legal adviser Chin Tek Ming has expressed concern regarding the state of representation within the judiciary, particularly in light of the upcoming retirements of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and Court of Appeal president Amar Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim next month. While he welcomed the elevation of Lim Hock Leng, formerly a Kota Kinabalu High Court judge, to the Court of Appeal, he highlighted a pressing issue that continues to persist - the under-representation of Sabahans in the higher judiciary and the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC).
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
South Korea President Lee's election law violation hearing postponed indefinitely, court says
SEOUL: A Seoul court said on Monday it will indefinitely postpone a trial of President Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating election law in 2022. South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in May, before Lee was elected, that Lee had violated election law by publicly making 'false statements' during his 2022 presidential bid, and sent the case back to an appeals court. The Seoul High Court, which had scheduled a hearing for the case on June 18, said on Monday that it will postpone the hearing 'to be decided later' without a date, a court spokesperson confirmed. Lee's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The court said its decision to postpone the hearing was due to 'Constitution Article 84', without elaborating. South Korea's Constitution, Article 84, says a sitting president is 'not subject to criminal prosecution while in office' for most crimes. However, legal experts are divided on whether that applies to ongoing trials that were already prosecuted before a president was elected. The National Court Administration under the Supreme Court gave as its opinion that judges of each court where Lee's trials are being held will have to decide whether to stop or proceed, according to its statement to a lawmaker in May. 'The court in charge of hearing the case will determine whether Article 84 of the Constitution should be applied to a criminal defendant who was elected in the presidential election,' the statement said. Lee's ruling Democratic Party, which controls parliament, is planning to pass a bill this week which suspends ongoing trials for the incumbent president, local broadcaster KBS reported on Monday. The Constitutional Court may be asked to rule whether the bill is unconstitutional, legal experts have said.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Seoul Court Postpones President Lee's Trial Indefinitely
SEOUL: A Seoul court said on Monday it will indefinitely postpone a trial of President Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating election law in 2022. South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in May, before Lee was elected, that Lee had violated election law by publicly making 'false statements' during his 2022 presidential bid, and sent the case back to an appeals court. The Seoul High Court, which had scheduled a hearing for the case on June 18, said on Monday that it will postpone the hearing 'to be decided later' without a date, a court spokesperson confirmed. Lee's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The court said its decision to postpone the hearing was due to 'Constitution Article 84', without elaborating. South Korea's Constitution, Article 84, says a sitting president is 'not subject to criminal prosecution while in office' for most crimes. However, legal experts are divided on whether that applies to ongoing trials that were already prosecuted before a president was elected. The National Court Administration under the Supreme Court gave as its opinion that judges of each court where Lee's trials are being held will have to decide whether to stop or proceed, according to its statement to a lawmaker in May. 'The court in charge of hearing the case will determine whether Article 84 of the Constitution should be applied to a criminal defendant who was elected in the presidential election,' the statement said. Lee's ruling Democratic Party, which controls parliament, is planning to pass a bill this week which suspends ongoing trials for the incumbent president, local broadcaster KBS reported on Monday. The Constitutional Court may be asked to rule whether the bill is unconstitutional, legal experts have said.
