1988 judicial crisis: Dr M blames ex-AG for mentioning him and not Agong

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has once again denied that he was responsible for the 1988 judicial crisis.

The constitutional crisis saw the dismissal of then lord president Salleh Abbas during Mahathir's administration.

Many are of the view that Salleh’s removal was the point in which Malaysia’s judiciary began to lose its independence.

Asked today whether it is true that he and then attorney-general Abu Talib Othman, were behind the amendment to the Federal Constitution in 1988, Mahathir reiterated that he was not responsible for it.

"That was not me. It was a complaint coming from the (Yang di-Pertuan) Agong.

"But the attorney-general at that time did not want to mention the Agong. Instead, he used my name and gave reasons to the tribunal which are not even known to me," Mahathir said in a press conference at the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia headquarters today.

Despite this, Mahathir lamented that people still insisted that it was because of him that the lord president and other judges were removed.

"It was not me. Unfortunately, the attorney-general that time did not want to mention the Agong.

"He said that it was me who complained but I didn't complain," Mahathir insisted.

Salleh, in 1988, was brought before a judicial tribunal before he was sacked for alleged misconduct.

The five Supreme Court judges who granted him an interim order against the tribunal were either sacked or suspended.

Dr Mahathir had reportedly blamed the late Sultan Iskandar Ismail for using him to vent his annoyance on Salleh who had complained about the noise coming from renovation works at the Johor ruler’s house.

Sultan Iskandar’s son, Tunku Abdul Majid Idris Sultan Iskandar, however, said that Mahathir had “used” his father to remove Salleh. - Mkini