Political leaders among the biggest threats to Constitution
Tengku Maimun
KUALA LUMPUR – Former Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat admitted that political leaders are among the biggest threats to the Federal Constitution.
She said this matter must be taken more seriously in order to safeguard the country's supreme law.
"The biggest threat (to the Federal Constitution) is politicians. I don't think further elaboration is necessary,' she said during the Allianz Centre for Governance's lecture programme titled 'The Sanctity of Malaysia's Federal Constitution: Threats, Solutions and Impact on National Governance' at a hotel here on Tuesday.
She said this in response to a question posed by one of the participants during the programme.
Meanwhile, when asked whether she had ever faced interference from any party during her tenure, Tengku Maimun admitted that it had not happened.
However, she said, signs of such attempts surfaced towards the end of her service.
'There were indications of attempts at interference towards the final period of my service,' she said.
Commenting further on her responsibilities as Chief Justice, Tengku Maimun said that judgments were always based on facts and fair consideration, without being influenced by any external factors.
She stressed that this principle was not only her own practice but also one she believed was upheld by other judges.
'When we are in court, we are blind (impartial). Not based on religion, race or any such considerations,' she said.
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