Perak's Sultan Azlan Shah, who warned about the erosion of public confidence in the judiciary in a speech last week, was hailed by Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang today.

Lim, who is also the DAP leader, said that the sultan should be appointed to head a royal commission to recommend measures on restoring confidence in the Malaysian judiciary.

"I concede that it is most extraordinary and unprecedented to propose that a sultan heads a 'royal' royal commission, but this is more than justified by the most extraordinary and unprecedented national crisis plaguing the country - the failure of the past 15 years to restore national and international confidence in the system of justice in Malaysia..." said Lim.

He said that no one in Malaysia today was more "eminently qualified, competent and suitable" to be entrusted with the formidable task than the sultan, who was the country's Lord President - now called chief justice - from 1982 to 1984.

A royal commission is an independent body set up by the Agong. At present, there is a royal commission on the police force, which is headed by former chief justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah.

Sultan's speech

Last Thursday, the sultan - in a speech read by the Raja Muda, Raja Nazrin Shah - said that the erosion of public confidence in the judiciary's independence would ultimately lead to instability.

He also warned that once lost, it would take a long time for the country to restore public confidence.

"Any shortcomings in the functions of the judiciary will tilt the scale of justice as the judiciary has always been regarded as the true guardian of justice," he said at the opening of the Sultan Azlan Shah Multaqa and Seminar on 'Independence in the Islamic and Non-Islamic Judicial System' in Ipoh.

He said that the law would not be effective in dispensing justice unless its implementation mechanisms were based on procedures that were fair and transparent and administered by judges who were qualified, independent and of high integrity.

"Besides the perception of the local community of the judiciary, the view of the international community is also an influence in determining the image of the judiciary of a certain country," said the sultan.

"Now, no country can stand alone and remains immune from being assessed by interested parties, lobby groups and the international media."

Judiciary tainted

Over the years, the country's judiciary has been tainted with allegations of being bias and accused of bowing to the will of the government.

The trials of jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim also cast aspersions on its integrity, with some quarters labelling the court proceedings as a 'sham'.

The recent promotion of judges, namely those involved in the ex-deputy premier's trials, also raised many eyebrows.

According to Lim, the sultan's speech was raised as a subject of discussion in last Friday's dialogue between DAP members of parliament and the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).

"We agreed that one of the most critical challenges facing Malaysians is re-establishing a truly independent judiciary and a just rule of law," he said.

"Despite two false starts, Malaysia has still to seriously embark on the road to fully restore national and international confidence in a truly independent judiciary and a just rule of law, which constitute the preconditions for any effective promotion and protection of human rights, democracy or good governance in the country."