Judicial Reforms?

While many Malaysians from all walk of life lauded the PM for one of his best Public Relations stunt in the post election when he announced ex-Gratia payments to the six judges implicated in the 1988 judicial crisis. The very next day, DPM, Najib says the ex-gratia payment was not an apology.

To me, whether its a direct apology or not does not matter. The government has at last acknowledge the fact that these judges have been wronged. However, when PM announced that the judicial reforms would see an independent of a judicial appointments commission to identify and recommend suitable candidates for the judiciary to him, he stopped short of revoking the previous appointment of ex-UMNO legal advisor, Tan Sri Dato' Zaki bin Tun Azmi, who was appointed as judge in Sept 07, who has has been selected to be the President of Court of Appeal! Thus, no matter what reforms they institute today, its worthless unless they re-evaluate the selection of Zaki and may the appointment of the new President of Court of Appeal to be made by the Independent Judicial Commission!

So dear PM, please do not announce a good thing, when you already had it covered! Haris Ibrahim has a take on this here. I am an average joe, not a lawyer, but the way I see it, Zaki will have to make way for a total revamp of the entire judiciary.