PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has expressed concern over Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim singing praises of Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat for being “brave in strengthening the people’s trust in Malaysia’s judiciary system”.
This comes about as Ahmad Fadhli who is also the Perikatan Nasional (PN) Youth chief claimed that Anwar has also stated that there were judges who previously made decisions that deviated from the elements of justice.
For context, Ahmad Fadhli cited a Sinar Harian report which quoted Anwar as saying:
“The flagrant violation of the principle of separation of powers by those who held the reins of power not so long ago, has led to a brutal attack on the judiciary. It culminated in the deterioration of the judicial process itself, especially cases involving politicians who have posed a serious threat to the power that be.
“As a result, there are certain judges who make judicial decisions that really deviate from the elements of justice and good conscience.”
While it is unclear which judge Anwar was referring to (for making a decision deviating from the full course of justice), Ahmad Fadhli is worried that Anwar’s statement might encourage criminals to challenge court judgments and the judiciary on the grounds that their sentence had been previously meted out by unfair judges.
“Realising that he has been convicted of corruption and sodomy before, it can be easily concluded that it is most likely the process of trial and judgment that he (Anwar) was referring to,” suggested Ahmad Fadhli who is also the Pasir Mas MP in a recent Facebook post.
“Therefore, I would like to suggest that now is the right time for the PM and the Madani government to work on a review of the corruption and sodomy convictions that had been imposed on the PM previously.”
According to Ahmad Fadhli, justice must be re-established if it is true that there were judges who have acted outside the full measure of justice.
“It is not fair to make general statements that may lead to misunderstanding of the judiciary in our country,” he opined.
“If the government had paid ex-gratia of RM10.5 mil to former chief justice Tun Mohd Salleh Abas and five other former senior judges in 2008 on grounds that their dismissal in 1989 was ‘illegal’, then there is no reason for justice to be returned to Anwar not because of his PM-ship but because of his position as a human being and as a Malaysian.”
Added Ahmad Fadhli: “If not, the entire judicial institution is actually being contaminated by the PM’s ‘padded praise’ of the Chief Justice. I beg to suggest.” – July 11, 2023
