The Bar Council today urged the government to adopt its recommendations on judicial appointments and solve the shortage of judges accordingly.

Its chairperson Mah Weng Kwai said the council is deeply concerned about the shortage of judges and judicial commissioners as highlighted by the Chief Judge of Malaya Haidar Mohd Noor last Sunday.

He added that the government should fill the vacancies promptly before the backlog of cases becomes too difficult to overcome.

Mah stressed that the shortage, caused by the elevation of seven High Court judges to the Court of Appeal last year without filling the ensuing vacancies, has caused much frustration among members of the Bar.

"While cases at the Court of Appeal may now be disposed of at speedier rate at a result of these appointments, members of the Bar have expressed frustration at delays experienced at the High Court because no further appointments of judges or judicial commissioners have been effected," he said in a press statement.

Independent body

Mah said the High Courts in Johor Baru and Ipoh were short of two judges each, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan needed one more each while Selangor was also short-handed.

"Several states also require more judges and magistrates to sit in the sessions and magistrate courts," he noted.

He said the government could refer to the council's recommendations in a memorandum entitled Judicial Appointments in Malaysia , which was submitted to Chief Justice Mohd Dzaiddin Abdullah recently.

Among others, the council proposed that an independent body called the Judicial Service Commission be established to appoint judges.

"In addition, the memorandum suggests how the process of appointment should be made and addresses the importance of security of tenure in the judiciary," Mah said.

Although the government has set up a fast-track system where a judge can offer pre-trial mediation to resolve qualified cases in his chamber and wanted to set up more courts, Mah said the shortage of judges may "render these laudable improvements nugatory in the overall scheme of things".

Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Rais Yatim said the government may consider making it mandatory for all court cases to be heard within a stipulated time frame if the fast-track system does not produce desirable results.

The government is also acting to improve infrastructure for judicial services. Work on the new Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex started last year.

When completed, the nine-storey building, costing RM147 million, will house 77 court rooms, the Attorney-General's office, and the registrar's office for all courts. The building is to be completed by 2005.