Opposition criticises Parliament for not debating judges bill
The Opposition today criticised Parliament for not debating the proposed bill to extend the retirement age of judges, voicing concern that any delay in the matter would affect the "integrity" of the judiciary.
Opposition members of Parliament expressed disappointment that the Judges Remuneration Bill (Amendment) which involves allowing wives of judges to draw pension even if they had remarried was up for debate instead. Parliament had earlier in the year approved that judges' wives be given their late husbands' pension despite remarrying.
Husam Musa (PAS-Kubang Kerian) said the Prime Minister had "promised" to raise the issue in Parliament as it involved the tenure of current Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, who is retiring in November, at age 65.
The passing of the proposed bill was supposed to extend the retirement age of judges from 65 to 67.
"Any delay in this matter will result in a chief justice being sacrificed and this is bound to affect the integrity of the judiciary," said Husam, during the debate session this afternoon.
"We were told that the proposal is already ready and all that was needed was the approval of the finance ministry. Maybe [Prime Minister] Dr Mahathir Mohamad needed an assistant," he said, referring to Mahathir, who is also the finance minister.
Credibility compromised
Husam cited numerous cases where several judges' credibility was compromised, like the controversial case of former chief justice Eusoff Chin who was found holidaying with a lawyer defending a case which he (Eusoff) presided over.
He highlighted the plight of judges' who had been intimidated by their "superior" during the course of their duties.
Husam also quoted a malaysiakini report recently which revealed former Court of Appeal judge Shaikh Daud Ismail's admission that he had received instruction from his bosses on how to handle a case, which he rebuffed.
"Dzaiddin, when appointed had promised to bring reformasi to the judiciary. This cannot happen if he is not given a chance to continue serving as chief justice. The delay in this bill will also delay reforms in the judiciary," he said.
Teresa Kok (DAP-Seputeh) supported Husam's statement by complimenting Dzaiddin on his job performance, saying that he had brought notable changes to the judiciary.
However, she queried whether Dzaiddin's courage and performance had incurred the dissatisfaction of the Executive because there are now no plans to extend his tenure as chief justice.
"But more than this, what people are really worried about is the appointment of former attorney-general Mokhtar Abdullah as the new chief justice when Dzaiddin retires in November," she said.
"His (Dzaiddin) effort to revive the independence of the judiciary will be jeopardised as the former AG had been less independent,"she added.
Mokhtar, while he was AG, had been involved in highly controversial cases such as the sodomy and corruption cases of jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim since his sacking in 1998.
Incentive for judges
Meanwhile, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (BN-Batang Lupar) backed the Judges Remuneration Bill saying that it was an incentive for judges to work harder if their spouses were given pensions despite remarrying.
He also proposed that judges' working environment like IT (Information Technology) facilities, filling system and secretarial services, has to be improved to prevent them from feeling "emotionally disturbed".
Touching on the integrity of judges, Junaidi said he understood that judges' ethics were in question if they were seen to be too chummy with politicians.
"But what about playing golf? I see judges playing golf, does this mean the golf playing community is different from politicians?" he queried.
When replying to the debate, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Douglas Uggah Embas said the ministry had no knowledge of the "promise" to debate the proposed bill on the judges' retirement age.
Douglas refuted allegations that the judiciary was facing any major "integrity" crisis.
"The majority of the rakyat feel that the judiciary has been fair and just," he said.
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