Sabah and Sarawak DAP have jointly proposed sitting Federal Court judge Richard Malanjum (photo above) as chief justice (CJ) of the Federal Court, as an alternative to extending the tenure of current Chief Justice Md Raus Sharif.

“We call upon the prime minister to advise the Agong to appoint Richard Malanjum to be the CJ of the Federal Court on Aug 3,” Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen and Sandakan MP Stephen Wong Tien Fatt said in a joint statement today.

They pointed out that Malanjum is the “most senior” Federal Court judge compared to Md Raus.

“Malanjum was elevated as the Chief Judge of the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak in 2006, while Md Raus was only appointed to the Federal Court in 2009,” they said.

Besides, there has yet to be a CJ from East Malaysia since the country was formed in 1963. Malanjum is from Sabah.

“At this juncture when we are about to celebrate the 54th anniversary of Malaysia Day ... it will serve as a meaningful reminder to all about the long-forgotten 'equal partners' spirit of Sabah, Sarawak and the Federation of Malaya ... if a Sabahan judge were to be appointed as the CJ of the Federal Court.

“Sabah and Sarawak are equal partners in the Federation of Malaya in the formation of Malaysia, and the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak, under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and also the Federal Constitution, is supposed to be on par with the High Court in Malaya,” they said.

Many have questioned the constitutionality of the extension of Md Raus' tenure, a decision first announced by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on July 7. Court of Appeal president Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin’s tenure was also extended.

Former CJ Abdul Hamid Mohamad criticised the move, saying it would be “not good for the Malaysian government's image, not good for the image of the judiciary and not good for the integrity of the judges involved".

The Malaysian Bar described the appointments as "blatantly unconstitutional" while former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the extension had “all the earmarks of favouritism”.

“Why then is Malanjum bypassed (for the CJ position for) an unconstitutional extension of Md Raus?” the DAP asked.

Former CJ Arifin Zakaria, however, has defended the extension, confirming that it was he who made the recommendation on both Md Raus and Zulkefli’s appointments to the king on March 30, on the eve of his retirement.

Prime Minister’s Department Minister Azalina Othman has challenged critics to take legal action against the judicial appointments.

Sabah and Sarawak DAP has invited all East Malaysian MPs to a roundtable on July 26 to discuss the proposal.