Despite the many criticisms against Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's tenure as prime minister, Court of Appeal judge Mahadev Shankar said one bright spot of his administration was that the judiciary was in better shape.
Mahadev said that the impact was immediate, as Anwar Ibrahim was acquitted of sodomy charges soon after Abdullah came to power.
"Within the judiciary itself, there was a change. Sure there was a change and I am referring here to the acquittal of Anwar Ibrahim in the Court of Appeal.
"At that time, you will see the two male judges on the panel had the scrotal gumption to do the justice that the law required them to do," he said during the book launch of 'Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years in Malaysia' in Kuala Lumpur.
Mahadev said that the impact was immediate, as Anwar Ibrahim was acquitted of sodomy charges soon after Abdullah came to power.
"Within the judiciary itself, there was a change. Sure there was a change and I am referring here to the acquittal of Anwar Ibrahim in the Court of Appeal.
"At that time, you will see the two male judges on the panel had the scrotal gumption to do the justice that the law required them to do," he said during the book launch of 'Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years in Malaysia' in Kuala Lumpur.
The Federal Court had overturned Anwar's sodomy conviction on Sep 2, 2004, slightly over 10 months since Abdullah took over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister.
Prior to that, Mahedev, who was on the royal commission of inquiry into judicial fixing that was also set up under Abdullah's tenure, said who the judges "worked for" was up to other minds to explore.
But under Abdullah he said the former premier's slogan of "don't work for me but work with me" had resonated with the judges.
"(What) Pak Lah did in the judicial field was to liberate the mind of judges.
"To get to grips with what they had to do was the message he said to them: 'don't do anything to please me, just fulfill your judicial oath and that is enough for me'," he recollected.
These words, Mahadev said, got through to many judges to responded to Abdullah's call.
But under Abdullah he said the former premier's slogan of "don't work for me but work with me" had resonated with the judges.
"(What) Pak Lah did in the judicial field was to liberate the mind of judges.
"To get to grips with what they had to do was the message he said to them: 'don't do anything to please me, just fulfill your judicial oath and that is enough for me'," he recollected.
These words, Mahadev said, got through to many judges to responded to Abdullah's call.
[More to follow]
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