PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has clarified that the party fully supports calls for the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the judiciary.

This comes after PKR lawmaker Rafizi Ramli yesterday slammed the opposition party for supposedly providing its conditional support for the proposed RCI.

The former economy minister was referring to PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man’s assertion that PAS would only support the proposed RCI if Rafizi joined the “Turun Anwar” rally, aimed at demanding Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s resignation.

In a Facebook post today, Fadhli (above) stressed that PAS supports the potential RCI and any efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis concerning judicial appointments.

“What was stated by (Tuan Ibrahim) was merely an invitation for (Rafizi) and his colleagues to join the ‘Turun Anwar’ rally on July 26.

“Whether or not they choose to attend is entirely up to them - there’s no issue,” the Pasir Mas MP said.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man

‘RCI only possible without Anwar as PM’

Claiming that the media had “misunderstood” Tuan Ibrahim’s remark, Fadhli also said the proposed establishment of the RCI will not materialise as long as Anwar holds the prime minister position.

On July 8, Sinar Harian reported that PAS was willing to support the suggested RCI provided that Rafizi also participates in the “Turun Anwar” gathering.

Tuan Ibrahim was quoted as saying that Rafizi’s presence at the rally would send a clear signal that the Pandan MP genuinely wants issues related to the judiciary to be investigated independently and transparently.

In response, Rafizi had dismissed the conditional support as nothing more than opportunism, appealing for PAS to not repeat the mistake it had made during the 1MDB scandal when it had “simply acted as auditors and declared its satisfaction”.

Call for PSSC probe too

On Monday, Rafizi and eight other PKR lawmakers urged the formation of the RCI while also calling on the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on institutional reforms to investigate alleged judicial interference.

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli

They called for the RCI to probe claims that the government ignored Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) recommendations before Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat’s retirement, including nominations for chief justice and Court of Appeal president.

They also highlighted concerns that the JAC was summoned last Friday without the mandatory 10-day notice to propose new candidates.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers subsequently downplayed the PKR MPs’ concerns and described the comparison with the VK Lingam scandal, where a 2002 phone recording revealed efforts to influence judicial appointment, as unwarranted.

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