Anwar brushes aside furore over judicial appointments
PETALING JAYA : Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today brushed aside the recent furore over his alleged interference in the appointment of judges, saying the episode has been conclusively resolved following an official announcement made last week.
Commenting on accusations that he was interfering in the appointment of judges, Anwar said these may have stemmed from 'false information' coming out from the judiciary.
'I believe that there have been elements within the judiciary who leaked and spread these false stories. Never mind, that's their problem,' he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.
However, he played down the matter, saying the controversy had since dissipated.
'Alhamdulillah, no one is saying anything now, though I was repeatedly criticised last week. Now it has all been resolved,' he said.
A document allegedly containing excerpts from the Judicial Appointments Commission's (JAC) May meeting minutes went viral earlier this month, suggesting that then chief justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat had raised concerns about the integrity of a superior court judge.
Claims were made that the judge in question had once attempted to influence the outcome of a case in favour of a specific party, and had sought the transfer of a fellow judge for holding a differing view.
An aide to the judge filed a police report urging the authorities to investigate how the information was leaked. Police are probing the alleged leak under the Official Secrets Act and two other laws.
On June 30, Anwar said there appeared to be a campaign to pressure the government to either extend or end specific tenures, which he warned could politicise institutions meant to remain independent.
Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh was named the new chief justice last week, and is expected to take over the post on a permanent basis beginning July 28.
Justice Abu Bakar Jais was appointed Court of Appeal president, while Justice Azizah Nawawi was made chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak.
Candidate for judicial posts presented much earlier
Anwar said he had proposed the appointment of Wan Ahmad Farid as chief justice much earlier, denying rumours of a last-minute change in candidate.
He also said he had proposed the appointments of eight Court of Appeal and 14 High Court judges about two months ago.
The prime minister said certain parties understood the constitutional process of judicial appointments but chose to twist the facts and mislead others.
'The candidate's name was presented (to the king) earlier, before all the 'noise' surfaced. We were just waiting for the Conference of Rulers to meet on July 15 and July 16.
'Everything was according to the set process. No one can preempt the Agong or the consultations with the Conference of Rulers,' he said.
Anwar also cited Article 122B of the constitution, which states that judicial appointments are made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the Conference of Rulers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
6 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Illogical to put FT dept under Zahid, says Save KL
The federal territories ministry was formed in 1979 to align Kuala Lumpur's development with that of the Klang Valley. (Envato Elements pic) PETALING JAYA : A group representing Kuala Lumpur residents has opposed the proposal by an Umno Youth leader for the federal territories department to be placed under the supervision of deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Save KL chairman M Ali said such a move was illogical and impractical, and would render Dr Zaliha Mustafa's role as federal territories minister redundant. He also voiced fears about additional costs, overlapping roles, and inefficiencies. 'If such a transfer occurs, Zahid would oversee the federal territories department, which indirectly means he would be overseeing Zaliha who is the head of the department,' he told FMT. Ali also said that Zahid, the Umno president, already served as deputy prime minister, rural and regional development minister, and chairman of the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council, in addition to representing the prime minister when necessary. 'Rural development is a very active and key role,' he said, adding that it would take up much of Zahid's time and focus. The federal territories ministry was formed in 1979 to align Kuala Lumpur's development with that of the Klang Valley. It was abolished in 1987 with a federal territories development department taking its place instead. The ministry was revived in 2004, restructured into the current federal territories department in 2022, and placed under the Prime Minister's Department. FT Umno Youth had proposed placing the department under Zahid's purview, saying the development of the three federal territories – Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan – seemed to have lost direction since the ministry was scrapped. FT Umno Youth chief Aliff Firdaus Abd Hadi claimed that key agencies in the territories were also working in silos, and that Zahid would be able to ensure better inter-agency coordination.
Free Malaysia Today
6 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
BN-PH pact likely to continue for GE16, but may change after that, says Zahid
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said BN is firm on continuing its alliance with PH in the run-up to the next nationwide polls despite calls for it to go solo. PETALING JAYA : While Barisan Nasional plans to continue its alliance with Pakatan Harapan in the next general election (GE16), BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says its strategies for elections after that may change. Zahid, the Umno president, acknowledged that there were calls for BN to contest in GE16 on its own, but said the coalition is firm on continuing its alliance with PH. However, he said BN's political strategies for the general elections that follow will be determined by the electoral performance of the parties in the alliance, Berita Harian reported. 'We do not know how many seats we will have, and how many seats they will have. 'Remember that, in Malaysia, differences in views are conventionally based on differing party 'colours'. We are willing to forget our different 'colours' for the sake of political stability,' he was quoted as saying. The Umno-led BN played a crucial role in enabling Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to form the unity government in the wake of the 2022 general election, which resulted in a hung Parliament. PH had won 81 parliamentary seats while BN won 30, in what was the latter's worst electoral performance to date.
Free Malaysia Today
6 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Zahid warns of a ‘cancer' that could bring down Umno
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi opening the Arau Umno division's office today. (Bernama pic) ARAU : Umno leaders and members must respond swiftly to issues raised by their detractors to avoid such issues becoming 'a severe cancer that could bring us down', party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today. Zahid said that if such issues are not addressed in a timely manner, they could go viral and affect public perception, regardless of their validity. 'Even if these are repeated or fabricated issues without basis, if left unaddressed, they will become a severe cancer that could bring us down,' he said after visiting the Arau Umno division today. He acknowledged that the party must accept the reality that it has been ineffective in managing issues, thus allowing other parties to win more seats in elections by manipulating public sentiment. 'There are parties that instil cult-like loyalty among their followers. Though their membership is smaller than ours, they secure more seats than we do,' he said. Zahid called on Umno leaders at all levels to deal with arising issues promptly and effectively. At the same time, the party leadership and the members must protect internal unity and party strength, even if faced with differing views and opinions, he said.
