The Bar Council has commended de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim’s principled stand to quit the cabinet , as he has failed to convince the government to initiate reforms, especially in the judiciary.

Nevertheless, the professional body which represents 13,000 lawyers expressed concern that the judicial and legal reform that he had been attempting to promote will now be stalled indefinitely.

ambiga sreenevasan “(Resigning) is the right thing to do. It sets an example of what responsible politicians should do in the interest of the rakyat where such fundamental issues and principles are involved,” said Bar Council chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan in a statement.

“Our only regret is that the process of judicial and legal reform which the minister was putting in place will now face a serious setback.”

She said that the Bar is aware that this process has been facing resistance from many quarters and that “we regret that it may now be stalled indefinitely".

‘Loss of a respected minister’

In another statement, the MCA Youth legal bureau said it regrets Zaid’s decision to resign.

“It’s most unfortunate to see the loss of a well-respected minister of this government who has shown tireless effort and commitment in various law reforms,” said bureau chief Gan Ping Sieu, also a lawyer

“We laud his stand over the Internal Security Act (ISA) to which we could not agree with more.”

teresa kok and raja petra isa arrest Gan called on the government to immediately review the ISA and other preventive laws, as well as to release DAP MP Teresa Kok and blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin “to save this government from further embarrassment”.

“We express admiration for a politician who has stood by his avowed stand and (has) set an example of conviction (in) politics in our country,”Gan said.

zaid ibrahim At a press conference today, Zaid (left) rejected Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s suggestion to reconsider his decision to resign over a two-week break.

The lawyer-turned-politician said he stuck to his decision because he had failed to convince the Abdullah-led administration to initiate reforms.

The last straw for him was when the government invoked an infamous security act last Friday to arrest three individuals, one of whom has since been released.

Comments follow from several ministers contacted by Malaysiakini .

Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department

nazri aziz and isa It’s his choice. It will not affect anything as he is not a MP, he is just a senator. It will not have any impact on our goal to reform the judiciary.

The reform plan is not about one person but is an initiative of the entire government. Why did he quit? Maybe because he is inexperienced about how the cabinet and press work.

He should not have announced his plans to initiate reform in the judiciary first to the media before he can carry them out. As for the ISA arrests, I do not have the facts before me. The police are responsible for public order and I am sure whatever they do is in the interest of the public.

Khaled Nordin, Higher Education Minister

khaled nordin It is his choice if he wants to resign. His resignation to me is in no way a problem to the government and I don’t think he is the symbol of judicial reform.

It was the prime minister who appointed him and this is testimony to his seriousness in reforming the judiciary. Zaid is not a team player.

Noraini Ahmad, Deputy Human Resources Minister

noraini ahmad I think this is between Zaid and the prime minister. (Zaid) was appointed by the PM, If he wants to resign he has to first seek the consent of the prime minister, who has the power to appoint and sack a cabinet member.

I think Zaid has to talk with the prime minister. As for his resignation affecting the image of the BN-led government, I don’t think it will have any impact. (It is normal for ministers to quit or to be sacked), so it should not have any effect on BN or Umno.