Petition on judicial independence launched, Rafizi rallies M'sians to rise

Former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli has announced the launch of an online petition to safeguard the integrity of the country’s judiciary.

“I urge all Malaysians to sign this petition as a show of public support for a judiciary that remains independent and of integrity,” he said in a stirring call to action on social media.

Rafizi warned that the stakes are high not just for the legal system, but for the very fabric of democracy.

“Please help spread this petition to all Malaysians, as this issue will have a significant impact on the people and the country in the future,” he added.

The petition, aimed at rallying public pressure to protect the separation of powers and the rule of law, can be signed here.

On Monday, Rafizi and eight other PKR MPs urged the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) and for the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on institutional reforms to investigate alleged judicial interference.

They called for the RCI to probe claims that the government ignored Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) recommendations before former 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.

Rafizi likened the allegations to the VK Lingam scandal, where a 2002 phone recording revealed efforts to influence judicial appointments.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers subsequently downplayed the concerns raised by the PKR lawmakers and described the comparison with the VK Lingam scandal as unwarranted.

The online petition reads:

We, concerned citizens of Malaysia, call upon all Malaysians to unite in supporting the demand to uphold the integrity and independence of our nation’s judiciary.

On July 7, 2025, nine MPs issued a joint statement expressing grave concern over the delay in appointing key positions within the judiciary. Recent developments have given rise to various speculations that risk tarnishing the government’s credibility and eroding public confidence in the future independence of the judiciary.

The following matters are now circulating in the public domain:

1. That nominations for new judges (whether to the High Court, Court of Appeal, or Federal Court) submitted by the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) to the government have not been acted upon in a timely manner, resulting in critical vacancies;

2. That nominations to fill the vacancies of the chief justice and the president of the Court of Appeal had already been decided by the JAC prior to the retirement of (former chief justice) Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and submitted to the prime minister, but no appointment was made, causing the current vacancy;

3. That a JAC meeting was convened on Friday (July 4) without adhering to the 10-day notice requirement, for the purpose of making fresh nominations for the vacant posts;

4. That in a previous JAC meeting, a Federal Court judge was called in to explain allegations of attempting to influence the outcome of a case and the reassignment of a judge - allegations that surfaced via a police report lodged by the judge’s own officer.

Even more concerning is the statement issued by the Attorney General’s Chambers on July 8, which indirectly confirmed several of these points:

That there were delays in the appointment process and that nominations from the JAC had either not been considered or not acted upon;

That the recent JAC meeting was convened without the required 10-day notice;

That the allegation involving a Federal Court judge attempting to influence court decisions and reassign judges was discussed in a JAC meeting.

These facts justify the concerns of many legal practitioners and members of the public, who view the current judicial crisis as reminiscent of the VK Lingam video scandal in 2007, which involved attempts to influence judicial appointments and case outcomes.

While we acknowledge that:

The Federal Constitution stipulates that the prime minister holds the authority to advise His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on judicial appointments; and the role of the JAC is to propose a list of vetted and considered candidates to the prime minister; the current situation - where urgent vacancies across the High Court to the Federal Court persist due to appointment delays - suggests that the prime minister has disagreed with the list of candidates submitted by the JAC.

The separation of powers must be upheld. The judiciary must not only be independent - it must be seen to be independent of executive influence.

Therefore, we urge all Malaysians to support the following demands:

a. The establishment of an RCI to investigate all allegations and incidents outlined in points (1) to (4);

b. An investigation and proceedings by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Elections and Institutional Reform, including calling upon the prime minister to testify;

c. Appointments to fill the current top-level vacancies in the judiciary must be based on the prior proceedings and nominations made by the JAC. Any new nominations must only be made after points (a) and (b) are fulfilled - that is, once the allegations of attempts to influence judicial appointments and decisions have been resolved;

d. We urge MPs, regardless of political affiliation, to express their support for points (a), (b), and (c).

We call on all Malaysians - regardless of political background - to sign this petition and pay close attention to this issue, which carries major implications for the people and the country’s future.

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