Rafizi rallies MPs behind RCI, special panel to quiz Anwar

Summary

• Some Harapan, PN parliamentarians confirm they’ve received Rafizi’s letter seeking MPs’ backing for his proposed RCI into the judiciary.

• Rafizi is calling for a united Parliament to defend the dignity of national institutions.

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli has sent letters to all parliamentarians, urging them to support the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate recent allegations over judicial appointments.

In the letter, the PKR lawmaker also called on the MPs to support the Parliamentary Special Select Committee for human rights, elections, and institutional reforms to probe into the brewing judicial scandal, including summoning Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to give a statement to the committee.

Additionally, he encouraged all MPs to support filling key judicial vacancies based on the Judicial Appointments Commission’s (JAC) prior recommendations.

"Therefore, I once again urge you (MPs) to join us in expressing solidarity and support for this effort – whether through endorsing the attached statement of support, making public statements, attending related forums, or taking follow-up action in Parliament," he wrote.

Several MPs from both Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional confirmed to Malaysiakini that they received Rafizi’s letter this morning.

However, they have yet to decide whether to support the move.

Parliament must stand united

Further, Rafizi asked the MPs to refer to the joint statement that he and eight other PKR MPs issued on July 7, in which they raised four concerns:

1. That the government did not act on the judges (including High Court, Court of Appeal, and Federal Court judges) proposed by the JAC, causing dire vacancies.

2. That the JAC, prior to Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat’s retirement, had nominated candidates for the chief justice and the Court of Appeal president to Anwar, but this was not acted on, leading to the vacancies.

3. That the JAC was summoned on Friday, without abiding by the 10-day notice rule, to propose new candidates for the vacancies.

4. That the JAC in a previous meeting had summoned a Federal Court judge to answer allegations of judicial interference.

The former PKR deputy president said that Parliament, as the primary branch of constitutional democracy, must stand united in defending the dignity of national institutions.

"Parliament is an independent and sovereign legislative institution.

“Therefore, it is our shared moral and constitutional responsibility to uphold the principle of separation of powers; to ensure that there is no political pressure or executive interference in judicial appointments or decisions; and to maintain transparent checks and balances to protect the supremacy of the Constitution and the interests of the people," Rafizi wrote in the letter.

Tengku Maimun retired as chief justice on July 2, after she was not granted a six-month extension.

Chief Judge of Malaya Hasnah Hashim, who is serving out a six-month post-retirement extension until November, is acting as chief justice in the interim.

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