M'sian Bar to hold peaceful walk to PMO in push for RCI
PETALING JAYA : The Malaysian Bar will be organising a peaceful walk next Monday over its call for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into judicial appointments and alleged interference in the judiciary.
According to a circular sighted by FMT, Bar members will gather at the Palace of Justice (POJ) at 2pm on July 14 to walk to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and hand over a memorandum.
Bar president Ezri Abdul Wahab said despite the scheduling of an extraordinary general meeting on July 26 to discuss the issue, 'recent events have heightened the Bar's concerns'.
Earlier today, the Attorney-General's Chambers rejected calls for an RCI and a parliamentary select committee to investigate alleged irregularities in judicial appointments, saying the situation did not amount to a constitutional crisis.
It said any suggestion of a crisis was unfounded, and that discrepancies in timing or procedure related to appointments 'did not automatically amount to a constitutional crisis'.
It was also previously reported that the Bar was applying for the release of minutes from the Judicial Appointments Commission's (JAC) meeting on May 16, following media reports that a senior judge was questioned over alleged interference in judicial affairs.
FMT had reported that a senior judge was summoned by the JAC to answer allegations of interference in judicial appointments, dating back to last year.
Among other matters, the Bar's memorandum calls for judicial leadership positions to be filled as soon as possible, the immediate release of the JAC meeting minutes and the establishment of the RCI.
'The POJ is not just a symbolic starting point; it is the very heart of our judicial system, from which justice is dispensed.
'Walking from the POJ to the PMO – a walk of some 2,600m – would demonstrate the commitment of the Malaysian Bar to judicial independence and integrity,' said Ezri in the circular.
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