No reason not to extend CJ's tenure, says Ramkarpal
PETALING JAYA : DAP's Ramkarpal Singh has called for the government to extend the tenures of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and two other senior judges, saying there is no compelling reason not to do so.
The Bukit Gelugor MP said while judicial extensions are not automatic, the current circumstances warrant continuity in leadership in the judiciary.
'There seems to be no compelling reason not to extend their tenures.
'It is imperative to allow for a continuation of the status quo of the judiciary's current administration, to ensure a smooth transition when the new batch of Federal Court judges takes over,' he said in a statement.
Ramkarpal pointed out that Tengku Maimun's date for mandatory retirement falls on July 1, as she turns 66 the next day.
He added that Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim is set to retire on July 2, while senior Federal Court judge Nallini Pathmanathan will reach the end of her tenure on Aug 22.
However, Tengku Maimun said last week that there have been no updates regarding the extension of their tenures.
Ramkarpal questioned why the government would not move in line with its own reform agenda, given that it has said on many occasions that institutional reform remains one of its top priorities.
'It is difficult to comprehend why extending the judges' tenures does not align with such an agenda, particularly when many Federal Court judges have retired or are due to retire,' he said.
Ramkarpal said the Federal Constitution allows for tenure extensions, in a provision he said was intended to aid the administration of justice, especially when key positions are being vacated.
'This is not a case of the extension of one judge but three, two of whom are the top two judges in our judicial hierarchy.
'This makes it all the more important for the government to explain why their tenures are not being extended, if that is the case,' he said.
Under Article 125(1) of the Federal Constitution, Federal Court judges may serve until the age of 66, with the possibility of a six-month extension, subject to the approval of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
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