Petition to our King

Daulat Tuanku! Daulat Tuanku! Daulat Tuanku!

Was the title of the article asking for signatories to the petition to His Majesty the Yang Di Pertuan Agong of Malaysia on our concerns of the appointments of Chief Justice of Malaysia as well as registering our appeal to seek his Royal intervention on the matter.

Haris Ibrahim carried the article here.

One can sign the online petition here.

Do not be alarmed, your details will not be shown online as the listing of signatories has been disabled. I was signature number 1927.

The content of the petition is centred around Tan Sri Dato' Zaki who would be Chief Justice by September once our current CJ, Dato Abdul Hamid bin Haji Mohamad retires. The concerns are real and thus we should do all within our ability to see to it that the Judiciary is further reformed and not continue its decay.

We, the rakyat, also note with concern the following of and concerning Tan Sri Dato’ Zaki :

1.Tan Sri Dato’ Zaki is the most junior judge amongst all judges of the High Courts, the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court;

2.Tan Sri Dato' Zaki is the most junior amongst the 8 Federal Court judges, and his selection as President of the Court of Appeal would most unfairly have raised questions about the competence of the other 7 very much more senior judges of the Federal Court ;

3.Tan Sri Dato' Zaki has been very intimately involved in UMNO, having at one time held the position of chairman of the party’s election committee, deputy chairman of its disciplinary board of appeal and party legal adviser. It is unclear if he is still a card carrying member of UMNO or if he has ceased to be one, when he ceased to be one;

4.Tan Sri Dato' Zaki has been linked to financial scandals involving UMNO that were allegedly bailed out by the government;

5.Tan Sri Dato' Zaki has been very intimately involved in the corporate world as a major shareholder and / or director in several corporate entities, many of which were known to have business dealings with the government; and

6.Tan Sri Dato' Zaki had previously been embroiled in a personal scandal that implicated him in the destruction of documentary evidence, thus laying him open to questions of his integrity.

Fellow Malaysians... this is this little that we are asking of you. Join us.

Judicial Reforms? Part 2

On April 21st, fresh from their electoral drubbing BN received at the hands of the opposition (where they lost 2/3 Parliament majority), PM Abdullah told Malaysians, "We hear you loud and clear. Ironically two days ago on April 17th, PM in a dinner announced gratuity payments to the judges who were sacked by Dr. M. All these can be found with links in my April 21st blog entry. Back then I did say that all those was the PM's greatest Public Relations stunt. I think I am vindicated.

Yesterday, horrors of horrors. The Star carries this story.... Here.

Titled Judicial Reforms Put on Hold!!!

May have turned my stomach on a Saturday morning but as I read it, my belief was proven. Zaid went on record to say the following in chronological order:

1. “Some people agree. Some people do not agree”

(Now as the de-facto law Minister who claimed that the PM is serious about reforming the judiciary would want to bow down to "some" people? Isnt the PM's word strong enough? Who are the "some" people?

2. “I just need to convince other parties who are equally as powerful as I.”

Zaid, you have the power and some parties are as equally powerful as you? I thought if there were to be any debate it has to be in the Parliament. No? Seriously, I wonder who are these "Powerful" people.

3. “But I am committed to these reforms. I will persuade the A-G, the PM?everybody. These two principles are sacrosanct and fundamental." And if we want to do justice to the country, we will do it.”

AHA! So the people who "do not agree" and are as "powerful" if not more are the AG and the PM? I thought the PM gave you the authority... no? AG is just as "powerful" if not more?

All the above beats this statement which actually tells you that Zaid is just as frustrated....

4. Asked whether Abdullah was committed to implementing both proposals, Zaid said: “I believe so. But you have to ask him. I cannot speak for the Prime Minister.”

So who is the "people who do not agree" and who is more powerful that has to be appease before the Judicial Appointments Committee as well as the reform of Article 121 can be carried out? Without naming names, I think Zaid has told us who is the culprit behind the whole sandiwara on April 17.


Thats the way I see it.... do you?

Real Man of Honor

Need I say more.


He is most worthy to be addressed as

YOUR HONOR

But this man will definitely be real mad.....

The full text of Sarawak's High Court Judge Datuk HC Ian Chin's speech in court HERE which probably shook the foundations of the judiciary to bits if the VK Lingam debacle had not yet done so.

Borneo Post has this report on the explosive disclosure here.

I am no legal eagle but err.... isnt Dr. M in much hot soup now? What about Eusoffe Chin who was implicated as well? The gloves are off.... signs of frogs are getting clearer.. maybe not the politicians yet but again... judges from Sabah and Sarawak? Tell that to me again?

No comments needed, his statement left me awe struck and dumbfounded. Indeed there are still honorable people around who put facts before him for a possible recussal... care to be reminded who are those who refused recussal?

(Pictures taken from Malaysiakini.com)

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.