PARLIAMENT | Pointing to MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki’s tenure extensions, opposition MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN-Machang) called for the chief justice's retirement age to be increased to 70 years.
During his debate on the royal address, Wan Fayhsal (above) questioned why Azam's tenure had been extended several times despite exceeding the mandatory retirement age, while former chief justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat was denied a six-month extension.
Directing the request at those in the Madani government who sincerely desire reforms, Wan Fayhsal cited examples such as the United Kingdom, where judges are allowed to serve until the age of 75.
"Allow these authoritative judges the opportunity to serve," he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
In June last year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim slammed alleged attempts to lobby the government into extending Tengku Maimun’s tenure, labelling such moves as politicisation of the judiciary.
Anwar sarcastically said that if such a practice were to be allowed by the government, they would soon see other civil servants, such as the chief secretary to the government, lobbying to keep their jobs.
The month before, Anwar had come under fire from various quarters, including his daughter Nurul Izzah, for giving Azam a third extension to his contract.
However, the premier defended his decision and insisted that Azam has shown “extraordinary courage” in tackling high-level corruption.
Article 125 (1) of the Federal Constitution allows a chief justice’s tenure to be extended for another six months upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 66, subject to the Agong’s consent.
Economic numbers vs ground reality
Commenting further, Wan Fayhsal said there was no use in rejoicing over strong economic figures if they did not reflect the reality Malaysians face.
"Between 2019 and 2024, the private sector nominal wages rose seven percent, overall prices rose 9.3 percent, and food prices rose 17.4 percent.
"What does this mean? People work harder, but buy less.
"Purchasing power fell 2.3 percent. The economy grew, but the pockets of the people have shrunk," he said.
The Machang MP also raised concerns of malnutrition among children, saying that the rate of stunted growth increased from 20 percent in 2000 to 24 percent now.
"If we look at our pockets, we are three times richer than Cambodia, Laos, and Bangladesh. In fact, our pockets are two times thicker than those from Indonesia and Vietnam.
"But there is one area where we are losing badly to them - while our neighbours are becoming more advanced, our children are getting more stunted," he said.
Growing concern
In a written parliamentary reply in July 2024, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the prevalence of stunted growth among children below the age of five increased from 17.7 percent in 2015 to 21.2 percent in 2022.
Similarly, a 2019 report from the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia found that stunting in Malaysia has worsened beyond its level in 1999.
This is despite Malaysia’s status as an upper-middle-income country, the report titled "Stunting in Malaysia: Costs, Causes, and Courses for Action" stated.
Stunting is the impaired growth and development in children caused by multiple factors, including poor nutrition, maternal malnutrition, poor sanitation, repeated infections, and socioeconomic factors.
It has long-term effects on individuals, such as poor cognitive and motor development, weakened immune systems, and a greater risk of chronic conditions like cancer and diabetes. - Mkini
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