Of PMX leaving country amid judiciary quandary, accusing M'sians of politicising Tengku Maimun's service extension

Focus Malaysia

6 hours ago

'ISN'T the timing of PMX's trip abroad coinciding with the appointment of a new Chief Justice?'
Such was the question posed on the Facebook page of a former New Straits Times (NST) journalist as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim slammed alleged attempts to lobby the government into extending Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat's tenure which ends today (July 1) by another six months.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced yesterday (June 30) that PMX will embark on a week-long tour from July 1 (today) to 7 which covers three major economic hubs, namely Italy, France and Brazil, to bolster economic, trade and strategic ties.
The official visit will include high-level meetings with PMX's counterparts in Rome, Paris and Rio de Janeiro with the three markets collectively recording bilateral trade of RM50.91bil in 2024, according to senior press secretary to the Prime Minister Tunku Nashrul Abaidah.
Whether the timing of PMX's latest overseas trip is a coincidence or otherwise was questioned by a commenter to the NST's ex-journo FB post who pointed out that the 'same thing happened when the new AG was roped in and Zahid got his freedom'.
Recall that PMX was in Jakarta from Sept 5-7, 2023 to attend the 43rd ASEAN Summit which was the day after the Kuala Lumpur High Court accorded a discharged not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Sept 4, 2023).
The DNAA collectively 'cleared' the UMNO president from all 47 charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), corruption and money laundering in relation to the Yayasan Akalbudi funds.
Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah made the ruling after allowing Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar's application to DNAA Ahmad Zahid after the prosecution decided to halt the case as they wanted to investigate the case more in depth.
On Nov 11 last year when Dasuki was made the Attorney-General, PMX was not in town having earlier embarked on a four-day official visit to Cairo from Nov 9-12 at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
He also attended the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit on the escalating violence by the Zionist regime on Palestinians and Lebanese before extending his globe-trotting feat to Peru (Nov 12-16) and later to Brazil (Nov 16-19) to attend the 2024 G20 Rio de Janeiro summit.
Rafizi schools PMX
Earlier, former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli has rubbished PMX's politicisation claim given that concerns expressed by the legal fraternity and Malaysians at large over the extension of Tengku Maimun's tenure and that of Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim are justified.
'They're not political or seeking to politicise the appointment of judges (which has its own processes),' argued the former economy minister in a media statement which has earned wide applauses after Malaysians at large blasted PMX for turning defensive on the matter.
'It's a reasonable thing to do considering the current situation where the vacancy of more than half of the Federal Court judges will slow down the progress of court cases.'
The Pandan MP who can now voice his opinion with no restriction having left the government further stressed that PMX cannot dismiss the concerns of legal practitioners simply by assuming that this issue is a political attack.
'This polemic began with legal practitioners' concerns that the next leadership of the judiciary will change to someone who is directly appointed to the Federal Court,' he justified.
'With more than half of the senior judges in the Federal Court vacant, the question arises whether the direct appointment (of a judge to the Federal Court) is part of a plan to bypass the seniority list of existing judges and change the leadership of the judiciary for the next eight years given that he (the appointed judge) will only reach mandatory retirement in 2033?'
As it is, the on-going judiciary controversy has worsened the state of trust deficit on the Madani government with 'double standards' having emerged in other key appointments.
'When the service of MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki was extended three times in a row and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan was not appointed as the new IGP, of course the rumour mill will kick into full; gear,' added Rafizi. – July 1, 2025
Main image credit: Badan Kehakiman Malaysia | The Malaysian Judiciary/Facebook; Anwar Ibrahim/Facebook