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Malay Mail
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Tengku Maimun's remarks on judicial appointments cost her an extension, claims ex-minister
KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz today claimed that recently retired chief justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat did not receive an extension of service because she publicly implied the prime minister had interfered in judicial appointments. The former law minister said Tengku Maimun should have voiced such concerns privately instead of raising them during an international event, online news portal The Scoop reported. 'If you feel the prime minister has interfered, then the matter should have been handled quietly. You speak to the prime minister and tell him, 'we feel you have interfered'. This should have been done behind closed doors, not in Malta!' he was quoted as saying. At the 24th Commonwealth Law Conference in Malta in April, Tengku Maimun had said that removing the prime minister's role in judicial appointments could help address perceptions of political influence in the judiciary. Malaysia's first woman chief justice also disclosed that recent proposals included amending the Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2009 and the Federal Constitution to remove the prime minister's role in the process.
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Ex-CJ's tenure not extended because of Malta speech, claims ex-law minister
Former law minister Nazri Aziz said Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat should have raised her concerns over possible judicial interference privately to the prime minister. PETALING JAYA : A former law minister claims that former chief justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat failed to get an extension because she had inferred that the prime minister interfered with judicial appointments. Referring to a speech she made in Malta, Nazri Aziz said that Tengku Maimun should have raised her concerns over possible judicial interference privately, the Scoop reported. Instead, Tengku Maimun chose an international stage to do so, he said. 'If you feel the prime minister has interfered, then the matter should have been handled quietly. You speak to the prime minister and tell him, 'we feel you have interfered'. 'This should have been done behind closed doors, not in Malta!' he was quoted as saying. At the 24th Commonwealth Law conference in Malta in April, Tengku Maimun said that removing the prime minister's role in the appointment of judges can help dislodge the perception of political influence in the judiciary. She also revealed there had been proposals of late that the Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2009 and the Federal Constitution be amended to remove the role of the prime minister in the appointment of judges. 'Such changes, in my view, would reinforce the impartiality of the selection process, ensuring that judicial appointments remain firmly grounded on merit and free from any perception of political influence.' Nazri went on to say that Tengku Maimun's actions were unacceptable, especially at a time when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was travelling extensively to bring investments into the country. He also disagreed with a suggestion by a lawyer that Tengku Maimun was not referring to Anwar when she made the remarks. 'You are the sitting chief justice. Anwar is the sitting prime minister. So you must be referring to him.' Tengku Maimun, he pointed out, had previously spoken on the need for a good relationship among the three pillars of government, namely the judiciary, executive and legislative. Nazri said a constructive and balanced relationship between the judiciary and the other branches of government is essential to preserving judicial independence while respecting the democratic mandate of Parliament. He said Tengku Maimun had previously stated that there is no contest for supremacy and that in Malaysia, the constitution is supreme. 'She should take a leaf from her own speech.' Tengku Maimun, who served as the country's 16th chief justice, retired on July 5. She became the first woman to helm the judiciary when she was appointed in 2019.
Malay Mail
06-06-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Anwar receives courtesy call from new Malaysian ambassador to the US, discusses diplomacy and foreign investment
PUTRAJAYA, June 6 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today received a courtesy call from the new Malaysian Ambassador to the United States (US), Tan Sri Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob. Anwar said that they discussed, among others, measures to strengthen bilateral ties between Malaysia and the US, including strategic efforts to attract quality and high-impact foreign investments. 'Among (the topics) touched on included strengthening Malaysia-US ties as well as efforts to attract quality and high-impact foreign investments from the country,' he posted on Facebook today. The Prime Minister also wished Muhammad Shahrul Ikram all the best on his appointment, while stating his confidence in the former to elevate Malaysia's aspirations, image and reputation to the highest level. On June 3, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, presented the instrument of appointment to Muhammad Shahrul Ikram in a ceremony at Istana Negara. Muhammad Shahrul Ikram is the former Foreign Ministry's secretary-general and he replaces Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, whose term as the Malaysian Ambassador to the US concluded on Feb 8. The Pahang-born Muhammad Shahrul Ikram holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Ecology from Universiti Malaya and has attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in the US. He started his career as an Administrative and Diplomatic Officer in the Foreign Ministry in 1988 and served as the ministry's secretary-general from Jan 6, 2019, to May 31, 2022. Throughout his 35 years in public service, Muhammad Shahrul Ikram has been posted as Malaysian Ambassador to Qatar, Malaysian Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations in New York. While at the Foreign Ministry, he also served as deputy secretary-general (Bilateral Relations), director-general of the Asean-Malaysia National Secretariat (during Malaysia's 2015 Asean Chairmanship) and Secretary of the Multilateral Political Division. His other previous diplomatic assignments included the Malaysian missions in Vienna, Washington and Beijing. — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
06-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
New ambassador to US a ‘steady hand', says analyst
Malaysia's new ambassador to the US, Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, has spent 35 years in the diplomatic corps and served as ambassador to Qatar and Austria previously. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A senior analyst at a think tank has described the country's new ambassador to the US as a pragmatic choice, saying Malaysia needs a steady hand in the post. Thomas Daniel, from the Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) expects Shahrul Ikram Yaakob to be able to handle the role's wide responsibilities, ranging from high-level negotiations to the more day-to-day matters. Thomas Daniel. 'What Malaysia needs in Washington DC now is an experienced and steady hand,' he told FMT, referring to Shahrul's 35-year tenure in the diplomatic corps. 'Malaysia does not need a maverick or headline magnet.' Daniel said among the new ambassador's top priorities would be to secure high-level access for bilateral talks and promote Malaysia's interests in the US, especially in view of President Donald Trump's 'maximalist approaches'. The new ambassador would also have to manage Trump's aggressive and uncompromising foreign policy style and the 'lukewarm perception' of Malaysia within US foreign and defence policy circles, he said. Shahrul's predecessor in the role, Nazri Aziz, agreed with the appointment. He said Shahrul was the right candidate to strengthen diplomatic relations. Nazri Aziz. Nazri, who served as the country's ambassador to the US from February 2023 to February 2025, said Shahrul had extensive experience, having served as Malaysia's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York. 'This appointment is very appropriate, especially when we are facing the unpredictable foreign policy approach of Trump,' he said. Shahrul's priorities Samirul Ariff Othman. Samirul Ariff Othman, an adjunct lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, said Shahrul needed to manage Malaysia's neutral stance on US-China tensions, with the two superpowers currently engaged in a trade war. Yeah Kim Leng of Sunway University said Shahrul's immediate economic challenges would be to reaffirm Malaysian neutrality and a longstanding relationship with the US. Yeah Kim Leng. He said it was critical that Malaysia project its neutrality as both the country and Asean may be perceived by others as tilting towards China. Former Sungai Benut MP Tawfik Ismail called for Shahrul to urgently protect Malaysian students studying in the US, with the Trump administration tightening foreign student visa requirements. He said Malaysian students must watch what they say and how they conduct themselves as Trump has been 'very sensitive' to the actions of foreign students in the US. Tawfik Ismail. 'The ambassador's role is also to advise students on what they should do or not do,' he said, adding that Shahrul must also be at the forefront in immigration-related issues affecting Malaysians in the US. Shahrul, the former foreign ministry secretary-general, was appointed the new Malaysian ambassador to the US on June 3. The position had been vacant for more than four months. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Ecology from Universiti Malaya and attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in the US. Shahrul, who hails from Pahang, also previously served as Malaysia's ambassador to Qatar and Austria.
Free Malaysia Today
31-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Move on, focus on replacing Tengku Zafrul in govt, Umno told
Former minister Nazri Aziz says investment, trade and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz's exit from Umno should not be seen as a crisis. PETALING JAYA : Former Umno minister Nazri Aziz has urged the party to stop fretting over Tengku Zafrul Aziz's departure and instead focus on naming a replacement for him in the Cabinet. Nazri said Tengku Zafrul, who has announced his exit from Umno and also intention to join PKR, had done nothing wrong and was simply exercising his freedom of association. 'Why do you (Umno) want to stop people who don't want to be with us? Just let it be and move on,' he told FMT. 'And I don't think it's even impactful. So, I would advise Umno members not to worry about this and just focus on getting someone to take over the Cabinet position following Tengku Zafrul's departure from the party.' Nazri said Tengku Zafrul's departure was also expected, especially since he had stepped down as Selangor Umno treasurer in April last year. 'Actually, it's good for Umno now because he's going to finish his senatorship anyway, and then I'm sure the (Cabinet) vacancy will be given back to Umno,' he added. Tengku Zafrul is currently the investment, trade and industry minister in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Cabinet. Despite being an Umno member since 1997, the former CIMB Group CEO was widely seen as a technocrat when named as finance minister in Muhyiddin Yassin's Cabinet in March 2020, a role he retained in the subsequent Ismail Sabri Yaakob administration. Tengku Zafrul has been a senator since 2020, when he was first appointed, in order to take on his Cabinet positions. The senatorship has a maximum tenure of two terms, each lasting three years. Since the announcement of his exit, Umno Youth and Wanita Umno have urged Tengku Zafrul to relinquish his Cabinet position. Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zakarshi, on the other hand, questioned whether Tengku Zafrul can be held liable for RM100 million in damages for allegedly breaching his pledge as a Barisan Nasional candidate during the last general election (GE15). Separately, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan urged Umno members and supporters not to be disturbed by the departure of any individual. 'This party was not built in a day or two, nor does it stand on the shoulders of a single person. Umno is a responsibility far greater than that,' he said in a Facebook post expressing respect for Tengku Zafrul's decision and gratitude for his contributions. 'We have far more important work, to unite, to improve, and to restore the people's trust in us.'
