Critics don't know history, says Anwar on judiciary crisis

Summary

• Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says critics of his role in judicial matters are ignorant of history, despite their citing of the VK Lingam scandal against him.

• He also calls for AI copyright protections and encourages legal frameworks that preserve local values and creative freedom.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said those who criticised him over the recent judiciary crisis don’t know history.

“Sometimes when talking about the judiciary now, I assume they don’t know history at all. 

“People who sometimes conspired with all the oppression, tyranny in the past want to talk about freedom (now),” he said in Shah Alam today.

He was speaking at the launch of the biography of political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, popularly known as Zunar.

However, those criticising Anwar over the recent judicial issue had cited history, namely the VK Lingam scandal.

They were referring to a recording of Lingam, a lawyer, who revealed in a phone call how he had influenced the appointment of key judges.

The video came to light in 2007, triggering widespread outrage, which led to the eventual formation of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) in 2009.

The recent judicial scandal revolved around the JAC and its role in appointing judges, with many expressing concern over the prime minister’s part in the process.

‘Ministries should get cracking on AI’

Commenting further, Anwar suggested that the Communications Ministry and the Digital Ministry formulate laws on artificial intelligence (AI) to provide copyright protections.

He stressed the importance of such guarantees for those working in creative fields, such as cartoonists, filmmakers, and poets.

“There should also be several legal provisions that the Digital Ministry and Communications Ministry should take into account to ensure that our country does not just follow the mould determined by the outside world and then get caught up in losing the identity of the values and values that are nurtured here,” he said.

He said the country’s youth should be trained in AI to ensure that they continue to retain locally important values, including religious beliefs and diversity.

Besides that, Anwar highlighted how the country has changed since Zulkiflee’s youth.

“He grew up in a country that was a bit more authoritarian and did not allow free discussion of art, so he was also pressured by that atmosphere.

“Young people should know that now, alhamdulillah, the situation has changed. 

“We (the government) give (them) space. We don’t necessarily agree, it doesn’t necessarily suit our tastes, and it doesn’t necessarily suit the interests of those in power, but that’s the atmosphere of the environment that is called democratic,” he said.

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