Several judges have undergone a nature outreach programme to create environmental awareness on the bench over threats faced by mother nature.

Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria, in his speech at the launching of the 46th Judges Conference in Kota Baru today, said the Judicial Academy which was formed in December last year had recently organised the programe where they went to the Kuala Tahan National Park.

“Judges were brought for a night walk in the 130-million-year-old jungle, ventured through rapids on rivers and walked on a 531m-long and 40m-high canopy walkway.

“Moreover, a special session with the aborigines (Orang Asli) was arranged for the judges to orientate themselves with the original inhabitants of the forests,” he said.

The highlight of it all, Justice Arifin said, was the briefing on the challenges faced by the enforcement authorities on wildlife and deforestation activities.

The chief justice said the academy is responsible to train judges of the superior court and it had been given an allocation of RM200,000, and besides this nature course, it had conducted four other training courses.

Superior court judges are those in the High Court, the Court of Appeal and Federal Court.

The training, Justice Arifin said is conducted by judges for judges.

During the opening of the Legal Calendar in January, Arifin had announced the proposal by the judiciary to set up a specialised Environmental Court to handle nature and environmental issues.

He had said in January that the move to develop the Environmental Court is in tandem with the Johannesburg principles of the rule of law and sustainable development adopted by 120 judges from about 60 countries during the Global Judges Symposium held in Johannesburg in 2002.

The CJ said more than half of the land in Malaysia is forested or about 60 percent of 19.52 milllion hectares, and that Malaysia had an important role to play as environmental crime is a threat to our existence.

At present there are designated special Sessions Courts to hear corruption cases, but none for environmental cases.

 

Judicial integrity as vital as independence, says CJ

PKR: Utusan distorted Sodomy II judgment