PKR Youth today joined the clamour for the King, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, not to agree to an extension of Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim's tenure as chief justice.

Information chief Lau Tek Hai said the youth wing believes the King is against the extension and therefore urged the cabinet not to go against his wishes on the matter.

Ahmad Fairuz is due to retire as Chief Justice - a post he has held since 2004 - at the end of this month. He applied in July for a six-month extension, but has yet to receive an official letter to allow him to remain in office.

Since last month, however, he has been implicated along with a number of other people in a video showing senior lawyer VK Lingam on the phone apparently brokering judicial appointments.

Although Ahmad Fairuz has indirectly denied his involvement, the opposition and Bar Council have pressed for a royal commission of inquiry into the issue.

"On behalf of PKR Youth, I assert our objections to (an extension), because Ahmad Fairuz still has not proven his innocence," Lau told a small crowd that had gathered after Friday prayers at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

"We understand that at this point, the cabinet still wants to extend his services by six months. If his shameful conduct as one entrusted with (interpreting) the country's laws is allowed to continue, where is this country headed?"

Lau also urged the cabinet to abide by the second principle of Rukunegara- loyalty to the King and the nation.

Perak's Sultan Azlan Shah - a former lord president in the 1980s - was also said to be "concerned" when it was learned that a two-month extension was in the offing for Ahmad Fairuz despite the 'Lingam tape' controversy.

This morning, a petition was submitted to the King ahead of the Oct 31 scheduled meeting of the Conference of Rulers, in the hope that he will reject the extension and advise his fellow-Rulers accordingly.

The petition - backed by 5,036 signatures and submitted by human rights lawyer Haris Ibrahim - also requests the immediate establishment of an independent judicial commission for the appointment and promotion of judges.

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