On CJ's final day, DAP backs extension amid silence from Putrajaya

Summary

• DAP calls for a six-month extension for Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, citing their integrity and contributions to judicial reform.

• The party denies politicising the issue, arguing that the move aligns with the Madani government’s reform agenda and addresses upcoming vacancies in the Federal Court.

• This comes amid criticism from the Malaysian Bar over government inaction, and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s warning against lobbying to influence judicial appointments.

In an eleventh-hour move, DAP has declared its support for Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat’s service extension, just as she marks her last day before mandatory retirement.

Noting that it had recently discussed matters of national importance, the party’s central working committee also backed extending the tenure of Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, who is set to retire on July 2.

The committee said a tenure extension for the judges would be consistent with the reformist agenda of the Madani government.

It also cited the duo’s achievements in carrying out their duties "impeccably and with utmost integrity” in calling for their services to be extended a further six months, in accordance with the Federal Constitution.

“Although such extensions are not as of right, we note the extensions of previous senior judges upon their mandatory retirements and see no reason why the same should not extend to the current chief justice and president of the Court of Appeal,” the committee added in a statement today.

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | On the appointment of judges and how PM has a role

Denying that DAP’s support of the extensions is an attempt to politicise the matter, it asserted that the stance is the result of a genuine recognition of the top judges’ contributions to the development and reform of the judiciary.

“Given their contributions and performances, we are of the view that extending the tenures of (Tengku Maimun and Abang Iskandar) would enhance the government’s commitment to the improvement of the administration of justice and the judiciary.

“We further note that there will be many vacancies left in the Federal Court due to the recent and impending retirements of Federal Court judges.

“This makes it all the more important to retain the current chief justice and president of the Court of Appeal to ensure a smooth transition of new appointees to the Federal Court in due course,” the committee added.

Ongoing silence

Yesterday, the Malaysian Bar slammed the ongoing silence and hesitation over Tengku Maimun’s service extension.

Its president, Ezri Abdul Wahab, cautioned that a breakdown in governance risks damaging public confidence in the judiciary and opens the door to speculation and unhealthy conjecture.

He also stressed that the situation is not one of lobbying or preference, but rather concerns urgency, transparency, and the proper operation of constitutional democracy.

DAP lawmaker and former deputy law minister Ramkarpal Singh also shared similar sentiments on Sunday, saying it is imperative to allow for a continuation of the status quo of the current administration of the judiciary to ensure a smooth transition when the new batch of Federal Court judges takes over.

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

The prime minister called the move an attempt to politicise the judiciary, insisting that it should not happen with such an independent institution.

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.

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