Nurul Izzah: I joined lawyers' march as concerned citizen

PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar said she had joined the Malaysian Bar's march as a concerned citizen, explaining that her presence today was driven by her shared sentiment on the judicial independence issue.

Taking to Instagram, she reminded the public of past instances when she spoke up on matters of democracy and keeping promises to voters.

"I spoke up when the Perikatan Nasional government undermined democracy by shutting down Parliament.

“I also spoke up when (Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad) failed to fulfil his promises as the seventh prime minister. Today, I must speak up again, to ensure that the Madani government continues to protect the integrity of our judiciary.

"I joined this walk as a concerned Malaysian - to listen, to witness for myself, and to express solidarity with the concerns raised by the Bar Council,” she said.

The three branches of government - the judiciary, the executive and the legislature - she said, exist to keep one another in check, ensuring that no single branch can operate without accountability.

Nurul Izzah added that the most crucial point for an independent judicial system, however, is the lack of interference from internal or external forces.

The former MP also reiterated her earlier statement that those appointed to top judicial posts must not only be capable but also have the highest moral integrity to carry out the job.

On June 12, a senior judge had ordered his aide to lodge a police report after Malaysiakini contacted the judge seeking comment on allegations that the judge was accused of judicial interference during a Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) meeting in May.

The report was leaked two weeks later.

On Saturday, purported JAC meeting minutes from May were also leaked on social media - and appeared to corroborate the allegations against the judge, as well as concerns of broader judicial interference.

In her Instagram post, Nurul Izzah repeated her earlier suggestion that an independent tribunal made up of five senior judges be set up to investigate the allegations.

She reminded the public about the "series of abuses in the past", such as the sacking of the then lord president of the Supreme Court, Salleh Abas, and the judge-fixing scandal exposed via the VK Lingam tape, which has fuelled her conviction to ensure the independence of the judiciary remains intact.

READ MORE: Revisiting the VK Lingam tape

"Today, we exercise our constitutional right to peaceful assembly - a right guaranteed by the Federal Constitution and supported by the prime minister.

“In the spirit of reform and justice, which are the foundations of PKR, we need to improve the existing structure by making it more transparent," she added.

Suspension question

Earlier, Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli took his party’s critics to task, questioning whether they would now call for Nurul Izzah's suspension after she attended the march.

Rafizi, who is Nurul Izzah's predecessor, said her action puts the party "in a funny spot" and that it would now be seen as a mere afterthought.

"Now the party is in an awkward situation, because if anyone proceeds to lodge a complaint to have us (nine PKR MPs) suspended, my defence is Nurul Izzah. Excuse me, she went!" Rafizi pointed out.

Previously, several PKR division chiefs had urged for Rafizi and eight other party MPs to be suspended following their call for a royal commission of inquiry into judicial appointments.

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