Waytha apologises to PM over 'mistaken' claim on ex-CJ's tenure

P Waytha Moorthy has apologised to Anwar Ibrahim for asserting that the prime minister had hidden motives behind not extending the former chief justice’s tenure.

In a statement today, the Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) chairperson said he made the assertion in his speech at an event in Kuala Lumpur with media and bloggers yesterday.

“I mistakenly stated that (Anwar) did not extend the former chief justice’s (Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat) tenure because she had previously delivered a judgment involving (Anwar) in a Court of Appeal case, based on information that had been conveyed to me earlier.

“However, after reviewing the official judicial records this morning, I found that (Tengku Maimun) had never been part of any panel of judges in (Anwar’s) appeal cases,” he said.

Waytha, a former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (National Unity and Social Wellbeing), also extended his apologies to Tengku Maimun.

He added that he takes full responsibility and acknowledged that his statement was “untrue” and resulted from an “honest mistake” on his part.

“I sincerely apologise to (Anwar) for the factual error and for any misunderstanding or negative perception that may have arisen towards him due to my statement,” he said.

Waytha also expressed hope that those who recorded or broadcast his remarks would delete such content to prevent the spread of inaccurate information.

Unexpected apology from PM’s critic

Tengku Maimun served as the nation’s first female chief justice from May 2, 2019, to July 1 this year, with her mandatory retirement marking her final day in office.

In 2013, when Tengku Maimun was a judge in the Court of Appeal, Anwar succeeded in his bid to recuse her from hearing his appeal against his acquittal for sodomy.

Karpal Singh, who was Anwar’s lead counsel then, reportedly said the preliminary objection to the judge’s presence was due to how she had heard a civil suit filed by Anwar against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2007.

This was when Mahathir had made adverse comments on Anwar during a Suhakam conference, alluding to his former deputy’s alleged sexual behaviour.

Waytha is known to be a constant critic of Anwar, making this public apology particularly notable and unexpected.

On Aug 12, Waytha initiated a lawsuit questioning the validity of Anwar’s status as MP and prime minister, with the legal action seeking the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s declaration that Anwar’s disqualification as an MP “was never revoked” as part of his royal pardon.

He is also seeking the court’s declaration that Anwar’s victory in the Tambun parliamentary seat during the 15th general election on Nov 19, 2022, and his subsequent appointment as prime minister on Nov 24, are null and void.

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