Latest news with #Haniff
Sinar Daily
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Sinar Daily
Calls grow for judicial reforms to avoid future appointment disputes
SHAH ALAM - The Malaysian government's recent move to enhance transparency in the appointment of superior court judges has been welcomed as a critical step to prevent recurring disputes in the judicial system. Lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla said this was the right direction forward and emphasised the need for continued efforts to review and strengthen the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) Act 2009, along with judicial appointment and promotion procedures. "This is a positive sign because everyone knows that the concept of appointing and promoting judges needs to be thoroughly reviewed and refined to avoid becoming a future issue. "The current vacancies in the positions of Chief Justice and President of the Court of Appeal are also the main concerns," he told Sinar. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had earlier assured the public that the unity government was aware of the concerns raised through the 'Walk to Safeguard Judicial Independence.' She said the government would address the issue responsibly and transparently in accordance with the Federal Constitution. Azalina also announced that a Comparative Study of Judicial Appointment Systems is being carried out by the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) under the Prime Minister's Department, in collaboration with Special Select Committees from the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat. To ensure long-term reform, Haniff proposed the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry, with royal consent, to evaluate the system in-depth. "Appoint commissioners to be part of it with terms of reference that they wish to study and then give them time around nine to twelve months to conduct the study and provide recommendations. "The main weakness in the judicial appointment process, as I see it, lies within the JAC itself, because it needs to be fully recognised under the Federal Constitution. Currently, there is no full recognition under Article 122B of the Federal Constitution. "Article 122B states that four parties are involved in the appointment of judges, namely the Prime Minister, the Agong and the Conference of Rulers. Before the Prime Minister presents names to the Conference of Rulers, he may consult the Chief Justice. "The JAC, on the other hand, only plays an advisory role to the Prime Minister and its recommendations are not constitutionally binding under Article 122B, so the Prime Minister is not obligated to follow them," he said. Haniff also declined to comment on a proposed judicial tribunal discussed during a meeting between Pakatan Harapan MPs and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, saying the issue was not timely. In a separate view, constitutional expert Associate Professor Datuk Dr Wan Ahmad Fauzi Wan Husain pointed out that judicial appointments were already covered within the Federal Constitution and should not be sensationalised. He said if the Chief Justice post becomes vacant, the President of the Court of Appeal is constitutionally authorised to take over the duties. If that role is also vacant, the Chief Judge of Malaya can assume the responsibilities. "The problem arises when this issue is polemicised by parties with vested interests. Generally, there are three groups voicing out on the appointment of the Chief Justice. The first are those who want Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat's term to be extended because they believe her decisions have favoured their interests. "Secondly, there are those who want to take advantage of the situation for political gain and thirdly, perhaps a small group that wishes for the appointment of judges by the Agong, in consultation with the Conference of Rulers, to no longer follow the advice of the Prime Minister, but instead be based on the recommendation of an independent commission," he said.
New Straits Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Not Bersatu's practice to pay its bureau chiefs, says Muhyiddin's ex-officer
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today heard that Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) did not pay individuals who led its internal bureaus, including its former legal head Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla. Marzuki Mohamad, the former principal private secretary to party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, testified that no payments were made to prominent lawyer Haniff, who headed the legal and constitutional bureau during the party's early years as it was the practice, reported FMT. Marzuki, now a university lecturer, was quoted as saying that,"Two other lawyers also offered their services voluntarily. It was standard practice not to offer remuneration." He was testifying in a 2021 suit filed by Haniff to claim RM12.5 million in legal fees from Bersatu. Apart from Marzuki, Haniff had named Muhyiddin, deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and treasurer Mohamed Salleh Bajuri as co-defendants. Haniff claimed he received no response on the multiple invoices he had issued between January and March 2021 while Bersatu, in their defence, claimed that Haniff's services from 2016 to 2020 were offered pro-bono. Questioned by Haniff's lawyer Nizamuddin Hamid on whether he knew Haniff was never a party member, Marzuki said he had never asked. On Haniff's invoices and reminders, Marzuki said he had not seen them and that he had learned of Haniff's lawsuit via media reports. Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir set Aug 25 to deliver his decision after Bersatu lawyer Chetan Jethwani said the defence had closed its case.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Food banks call on Congress to preserve food aid for 38,000 Pennsylvania seniors
(USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.) A network of food banks and charitable organizations that distributes food from the of Agriculture (USDA) to low-income seniors called on Congress to preserve funding for the program in the upcoming federal budget. Pennsylvania is the fourth-largest recipient of aid under the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), behind California, Texas and Michigan. Cuts to the USDA funding bill would have an outsized impact on the commonwealth, where 38,000 seniors receive monthly food packages through the program, Hunger-Free Pennsylvania said. 'We must at all costs preserve the critical and vital safety net that CSFP provides for our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians – our seniors,' Hunger-Free Pennsylvania Executive Director Stuart I.R. Haniff said. According to the nonprofit Food Research & Action Center, the Trump administration proposes a $425 million cut to eliminate CSFP and replace the aid with Make America Healthy Again Food Boxes, which source food items directly from farmers. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, which represents the commonwealth's 18 food banks serving all 67 counties, said funding should be maintained at current levels, at a minimum. 'If Congress fails to fully fund this program, our most vulnerable seniors will lose access to the nutritious food they need to live healthier lives,' Haniff said. The CSFP delivers food packages designed to provide protein, calcium, iron and vitamins A and C to people 60 and older who have an income below 150% of the federal poverty level. For a single-person household, that's about $23,500 a year, according to Hunger-Free Pennsylvania. The network said the program has been a 'resounding success,' recently surpassing 250,000 deliveries through the meal delivery app DoorDash's Project DASH, which allows food banks and pantries to work with DoorDash drivers and technology to distribute aid. 'Often, the contact with a home delivery representative is the only human contact these seniors have – and sometimes the only eyes to check on them and their well-being,' Hunger-Free Pennsylvania said in a statement. The organization's call for attention to the program comes as Pennsylvania officials fight with the Trump administration over the cancellation of an initiative that provides millions of dollars for farmers who provide products for food banks across the state. Along with a threatened lawsuit, Gov. Josh Shapiro has said the Trump administration broke a three-year contract between the federal government and the state. The deal, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), was established in 2021 under President Joe Biden's administration in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It supported about 190 farms and 13 food banks. The latest contract was renewed in the final months of Biden's term. However, Trump's administration confirmed in March that the program was ending, impacting farmers and food banks across the nation. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
