PM pushes back against lobby to extend CJ's term, calls it politicisation

Summary

• Efforts to lobby for the extension of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat are a politicisation of the judicial appointments process, says PM Anwar Ibrahim.

• Anwar stresses that the prime minister plays no part in judicial appointments and that he is caught between a rock and a hard place.

• He similarly says that the recent DNAA and acquittals in high-profile court cases are the judiciary’s sole prerogative.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has slammed alleged attempts to lobby the government into extending Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat’s tenure.

In his speech at the Prime Minister’s Department this morning, he called the move an attempt to politicise the judiciary and stressed it should not have happened with such an independent institution.

“...regarding civil servants, or judges, when any official reaches their retirement age, there is a procedure in place. One does not get their tenure extended automatically upon retirement.

“When this happened, I was criticised... There was a campaign (to lobby) that certain people should have their tenure extended, some others should not.

“This means that an independent institution and its integrity are being politicised.

“When it becomes a public political discourse, where one group would agree if one person gets a contract extension while another group objects, it has become improper,” Anwar said during a Prime Minister’s Department gathering in Putrajaya this morning.

‘Soon, everyone will lobby to keep their jobs’

Anwar sarcastically said that if such a practice were to be allowed by the government, they would soon see other civil servants, such as the chief secretary to the government, lobbying to keep their jobs.

“So tomorrow, the civil servants, six months before the chief secretary’s contract expires, he will start campaigning, saying it’s a betrayal if his contract does not get extended.

“On the other hand, the group that disagrees with the chief secretary would say the same thing if his contract gets extended.

“But this has never happened before and should not happen,” Anwar stressed.

Tengku Maimun will reach the mandatory retirement age for judges, 66, tomorrow, July 1.

Two other top judges, Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judge Nallini Pathmanathan, are also set to retire soon, on July 2 and Aug 22, respectively.

As Tengku Maimun’s retirement looms, certain quarters have slammed Anwar for not extending her tenure, with a PAS leader comparing Tengku Maimun’s case with the renewal of MACC chief Azam Baki’s tenure for a third time despite heavy criticism.  

Anwar, during the PKR congress on May 23, had defended the decision to extend Azam’s contract, claiming that the top anti-graft officer has shown “extraordinary courage” in tackling high-level corruption.

Rock and a hard place

Anwar, in his speech this morning, added that the prime minister does not have the absolute power to decide on the appointment of judges.

Instead, he added, such a decision has to go through a process involving the Judicial Appointments Commission, obtaining the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and a discussion by the Conference of Rulers.

Anwar likened his situation to being caught between a rock and a hard place, saying that no decision can appease everybody.

Stressing that he has no influence in decisions made by the judiciary, he compared recent court cases involving former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court had granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) to Najib over three money laundering charges involving RM27 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.

The Court of Appeal had also acquitted Syed Saddiq, who is Muar MP, of four charges of criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of property, and money laundering linked to RM1.12 million of Bersatu Youth funds.

“Like in Najib’s case... Sorry, I have to mention this. (Some accused that) The prime minister has influenced the decision and betrayed (the rakyat). They said it was wrong (for the court) to grant him DNAA.

“When Syed Saddiq was recently acquitted, another group said that was wrong too.

“But if DNAA is not granted, some would also say it’s wrong. I want to say here that this has nothing to do with me.

“Whether I agree or not, my personal opinion does not matter. We have to respect the judges and the rulings they made. Because this is what happened, like in these two cases, some people would support DNAA here but object to DNAA for the other case,” Anwar said.

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