Fairuz gone, but crisis remains
Now that Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim has retired as chief justice, it doesn't mean that the government can wash its hands clean of the crisis afflicting the judiciary, two prominent opposition leaders said today.
Now that Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim has retired as chief justice, it doesn't mean that the government can wash its hands clean of the crisis afflicting the judiciary, two prominent opposition leaders said today.
PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the next step for the government would be the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry to investigate the independence of the judiciary.
Referring to statements made at the recent 14th Malaysian Law Conference, Wan Azizah said it was evidence that the judiciary's integrity had been increasingly questionable.
"It is evident that there needs to be a total overhaul of the process of appointments and promotion of judges to stem to growing erosion of public confidence in our judicial system," she added in a statement today.
Similarly, Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang said a royal commission of inquiry should be established and the government-established Haidar Panel be abolished.
The Haidar Panel refers to a three-member panel established by the government to investigate the VK Lingam video clip which allegedly depicts a conversation detailing the appointment of 'friendly judges' on the bench.
Panel to submit findings next week
Describing the panel as a 'charade', Lim said only a royal commission of inquiry could restore confidence in the independence, integrity and quality of the judiciary before 1988.
Like Wan Azizah, Lim also referred to statements made by several prominent speakers, such as former Lord President and current Perak Sultan Azlan Shah, at the 14th Malaysian Law Conference to stress his point.
"It is time for the judiciary to regain the public's confidence and bring back the glory years," said Azlan Shah during his keynote address at the conference on Oct 29.
In a related development, the Haidar panel is schedule to meet again on Monday. Subsequently, the panel is expected to submit its findings to the Deputy Prime Minister's Department next Wednesday.
The panel was on Sept 25 under the orders of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. At the time, the government promised that the findings would be made public.
Thus far, it had been reported that the panel had not obtained any information other than that from the Anti-Corruption Agency and a local firm Cyber Security Sdn Bhd.
