Appoint chief judge of Malaya from within the judiciary

 

From Zainur Zakaria, Mah Weng Kwai, Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari, Yeo Yang Poh, Ambiga Sreenevasan, K Ragunath, Lim Chee Wee, Christopher Leong and Steven Thiru

A highly competent, robust and independent judiciary is an indicator of whether a nation is truly built on democracy and the rule of law. An independent judiciary is essential for the good of the country, its people, investment, and global standing.

Malaysia is indeed fortunate that it has recovered from the 1988 judicial crisis and currently enjoys the distinction of having a courageous and independent judiciary. It has taken the country more than 30 years to arrive at this position. It was also not too long ago that we had a royal commission of inquiry into the controversy concerning appointments of and interference with judges. This resulted in the enactment of the Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2009.

We had to learn the bitter lesson that while the independence of the judiciary can be destroyed in an instant, rebuilding and reestablishing its independence can take decades.

It is with these experiences in mind that we express our concern at the reports that an 

outsider

 may be appointed as the next chief judge of Malaya (CJM). The attorney-general – who was appointed to that post barely a year ago in September 2023 and is said to be 56 years old – is apparently slated to be made a Federal Court judge and then appointed as CJM, which is the third-highest judicial post in the land.

There is no objectively cogent or compelling rationale for this unusual step when there are in fact several eminently qualified judges of the Federal Court who are more senior and experienced, any one of whom could have been immediately appointed to the position of CJM in February, when it became vacant. The adverse effect on their morale and the institution of the judiciary as a whole, by virtue of this continuing delay to appoint from within, cannot be overstated.

Further, the inordinate and unaccountable delay in the appointment of the CJM – a key post that has been vacant for four-and-a-half months – is perceived as having been precipitated by undue or improper executive interference in the judicial appointment process. This perception gravely compromises public confidence in the independence of the judiciary and the administration of justice.

Notwithstanding that any appointment of the attorney-general as a Federal Court judge appears premature – given the fact that he has served in that capacity for a mere 10 months – the position of CJM requires more credentials. Although the attorney-general has been involved in the administration of justice for many years, he does not have any experience sitting as a judge of the High Court or the appellate courts.

What then is the thinking behind this reported move, if indeed the intention is as stated in the two reports? The powers that be have remained absolutely silent in the five weeks since the first report.

It would be a clear display of recklessness and hypocrisy by this government – comprising, among others, Pakatan Harapan, which for decades has pressed for transparency, accountability, non-interference in the appointment of judges, and an independent judiciary – if it is indeed taking steps that may well undermine such principles.

We trust this issue that is plaguing the administration of justice will be put to rest with an affirmative stand by the prime minister that there is no such plan on the cards, that it is recognised that there are presently serving judges who are eligible and eminently qualified to be appointed as the next CJM, and that there is no need to appoint from outside the judiciary. It does not augur well for the nation to leave the future of the judiciary and the administration of justice in such a state of uncertainty.

The sacrosanct position of the judiciary in our constitutional scheme must never again be diminished by the overweening exercise of executive influence or power. - FMT

Zainur Zakaria, Mah Weng Kwai, Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari, Yeo Yang Poh, Ambiga Sreenevasan, K Ragunath, Lim Chee Wee, Christopher Leong and Steven Thiru are past presidents of the Malaysian Bar.

The views expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

Muhyiddin dengan pelan damainya

 

Bagi Presiden Bersatu Muhyiddin Yassin ia suatu 

hasil perbincangan serta kesepakatan kepimpinan tertinggi

 partinya. Bagi saya ia merupakan ‘pelan damai’ yang mungkin disenangi semua pihak mungkin tidak. Saya bercakap mengenai susunan barisan pimpinan Bersatu menjelang pemilihan parti Oktober ini.

Apabila Muhyiddin mengumumkan susunan atau istilah yang digunakan media, ‘formula’, beliau sebenarnya sama ada sedar atau tidak mengakui apa yang ramai sudah tahu bahawa 1) dalam Bersatu wujud beberapa kem diketuai para panglima perang dan 2) keadaan dalam parti amat panas membabitkan panglima perang berkenaan yang mahu merebut jawatan pada pemilihan parti.

Imbau kembali pagi 13 Julai lalu. Berucap pada konvensyen Bersatu, Muhyiddin memberitahu kepimpinan tertinggi parti melakukan rundingan menjelang pemilihan Oktober ini membabitkan beliau sendiri sebagai ‘perunding’. Bagi saya istilah lebih tepat ialah ‘orang tengah’ atau ‘mediator’. Apa pun langkah itu, kata Muhyiddin, ialah untuk memastikan pertembungan dielakkan supaya Bersatu kekal bersatu. Tidak bercerai-berai akibat pemilihan parti.

Pada petang hari yang sama Muhyiddin mengadakan sidang media dan menghuraikan hasil rundingan yang diadakan itu. Ia merangkumi ‘kenaikan pangkat’ untuk Hamzah Zainudin daripada jawatan setiausaha agung ke jawatan timbalan presiden. Kekosongan jawatan setiausaha agung ditawar kepada Azmin Ali.

Lalu timbalan presiden sekarang Ahmad Faizal Azumu bagaimana? Faizal menurut Muhyiddin bersetuju untuk mengundurkan diri dan akan menawarkan diri untuk mengisi satu daripada tiga jawatan naib presiden yang kosong selepas penyandangnya, Rafiq Naizamohidden, keluar Bersatu pada 2022. Dua penyandang naib presiden — Radzi Jidin dan Ronald Kiandee — akan mempertahankan jawatan dalam pemilihan Oktober ini. Berdasarkan kata-kata Muhyiddin ini bermakna mereka termasuk Faizal yang juga dikenali sebagai Peja boleh dicabar oleh sesiapa yang berminat duduk jawatan itu. Tetapi Muhyiddin tetap menegaskan semua jawatan tertinggi tidak dipertandingkan.

Mengikut apa yang diumum Muhyiddin juga, jelas Hamzah diberi jawatan timbalan presiden on a silver platter at the expense of Faizal. Mengambil penjelasan Muhyiddin ada kompromi terjalin. Penawaran yang dibuat kepada Azmin pula dilihat sebagai mematikan langkah beliau jika berhasrat mencuba nasib untuk jawatan timbalan presiden. Jawatan setiausaha agung ialah pelantikan.

Azmin, bekas timbalan Presiden PKR, menyertai Bersatu selepas berbalah dengan presiden parti asalnya. Ramai dalam kalangan Bersatu masih melihatnya sebagai ‘orang luar baru masuk’ yang tidak terlibat dalam usaha penubuhan parti dahulu. Namun tidak boleh dinafikan Azmin juga orangnya yang memainkan peranan besar untuk membolehkan Muhyiddin menjadi perdana menteri semasa tercetusnya Langkah Sheraton pada 2022. Penyokong Azmin yang beliau bawa masuk Bersatu daripada PKR mahu lihat bos mereka naik dalam hierarki parti.

Sebelum perkembangan terbaharu yang diumum presiden Bersatu, Hamzah dikatakan akan mencabar Muhyiddin untuk jawatan presiden. Beliau menafikan. Muhyiddin juga menafikan Hamzah akan menentangnya. Imbau kembali November tahun lalu. Muhyiddin mengumumkan tidak akan mempertahankan jawatan presiden pada pemilihan parti 2024. Pengumuman dibuat pada Perhimpunan Agung Bersatu 2023. Lalu penganalisis, pemerhati politik, dan sumber Bersatu menjangka Hamzah akan menjadi presiden tanpa bertanding. Mereka bagaimanapun tidak menolak kemungkinan Azmin menentang Hamzah untuk jawatan itu.

Akibat pengumuman Muhyiddin itu, ramai pemimpin yang mula pasang badan untuk merebut pelbagai jawatan kerana wujud kekosongan pada setiap takok. Namun Muhyiddin mengubah fikiran dan kekal presiden. Untuk pemilihan Oktober ini beliau tidak dicabar. Maka timbul spekulasi perebutan jawatan timbalan presiden akan menyaksikan perebutan antara Hamzah dan Azmin. Bukanlah rahsia besar kedua-dua dengan ‘bala tentera’ masing-masing tidak sebulu. Bukan rahsia juga semakin hampir pemilihan parti semakin panas keadaan dalam Bersatu. Muhyiddin mengakui formula menyusun barisan pemimpin adalah untuk mengurangkan suhu kempen pemilihan parti.

Tetapi setelah berkata demikian beliau berkata pula bukan bermakna Bersatu menghalang ahlinya daripada bertanding mana-mana jawatan. 

Saya tak kata tak boleh (bertanding) kalau ada antara kalangan mereka masih lagi berhasrat untuk bertanding itu adalah hak mereka. Tapi untuk memberikan sedikit harapan supaya kesemua jawatan itu dapat kita susun lebih awal supaya suhu kempen tidak terlalu panas,

 beliau dipetik media berkata.

Dalam lain perkataan, kalau nak tanding, tandinglah tapi kalau boleh jangan. Letakkan diri anda dalam keadaan pemimpin yang berminat menawarkan diri. Kalau teruskan hasrat bertanding akan dituduh kurang ajar atau ingkar nasihat orang tua. Jika tidak bertanding penyokong bengkak hati. Hati sendiri pun membengkak.

Teringat lagu lama nyanyian R Azmi: 

Diturut salah tak turut salah, jadi semua serba salah

. - FMT

Artikel ini adalah pandangan penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili MMKtT.

TRUMP SHOOTER THOMAS MATHEW CROOKS, 20 YRS OLD APPEARED IN BLACKROCK COMMERCIAL

It has been just over 24 hours (it is now 6:43 PM Sunday 14 July, Pennsylvania time and 6:43 am Monday 15 July local KL time) since the Trump shooting.

In major events like this assassination attempt the first 24 to 48 hours brings out the most honest news. After that the standard narrative gets polished and put into place. 

Video has emerged in the US which shows the Trump shooter, 20 year old Thomas Mathew Crooks, appearing in a Blackrock commercial which was filmed at his High School. 

You can also watch the video at X here :  https://x.com/lauraloomer/status/1812416983201112373?s=46&t=ESbNgnJvNVKZqm6doDm2-w

Here are two screen shots from that Blackrock commercial.

 

The views expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

HYPERTENSION

 

When there is no demonstrable underlying cause of hypertension, the condition is classified as essential hypertension. Essential hypertension is also called primary or idiopathic hypertension. This is by far the most common type of high blood pressure, occurring in 90 to 95 percent of patients. Genetic factors appear to play a major role in the occurrence of essential hypertension. Secondary hypertension is associated with an underlying disease, which may be renal, neurologic, or endocrine in origin; examples of such diseases include Bright disease (glomerulonephritis; inflammation of the urine-producing structures in the kidney), atherosclerosis of blood vessels in the brain and Cushing syndrome (hyperactivity of the adrenal glands). In cases of secondary hypertension, correction of the underlying cause may cure hypertension. Various external agents also can raise blood pressure. These include cocaine, amphetamines, cold remedies, thyroid supplements, corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and oral contraceptives.

Malignant hypertension is present when there is a sustained or sudden rise in diastolic blood pressure exceeding 120 mmHg, with accompanying evidence of damage to organs such as the eyes, brain, heart, and kidneys. Malignant hypertension is a medical emergency and requires immediate therapy and hospitalisation.

Epidemiology

Elevated arterial pressure is one of the most important public health problems in developed countries. In the United States, for instance, nearly 30 percent of the adult population is hypertensive. High blood pressure is significantly more prevalent and serious among Asians. Age, race, sex, smoking, alcohol intake, elevated serum cholesterol, salt intake, glucose intolerance, obesity and stress all may contribute to the degree and prognosis of the disease. In both men and women, the risk of developing high blood pressure increases with age.

Hypertension has been called the “silent killer” because it usually produces no symptoms. It is important, therefore, for anyone with risk factors to have their blood pressure checked regularly and to make appropriate lifestyle changes.

Complications

The most common immediate cause of hypertension-related death is heart disease, but death from stroke or renal (kidney) failure is also frequent. Complications result directly from the increased pressure (cerebral hemorrhage, retinopathy, left ventricular hypertrophy, congestive heart failure, arterial aneurysm and vascular rupture), from atherosclerosis (increased coronary, cerebral, and renal vascular resistance), and from decreased blood flow and ischemia (myocardial infarction, cerebral thrombosis and renal nephrosclerosis). The risk of developing many of these complications is greatly elevated when hypertension is diagnosed in young adulthood.

Treatment

Effective treatment will reduce overall cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Non-drug therapy consists of: (1) relief of stress, (2) dietary management (restricted intake of salt, calories, cholesterol, and saturated fats; sufficient intake of potassium, magnesium, calcium and vitamin C), (3) regular aerobic exercise, (4) weight reduction, (5) smoking cessation and (6) reduced intake of alcohol and caffeine.

Mild to moderate hypertension may be controlled by a single-drug regimen, although more severe cases often require a combination of two or more drugs. Diuretics are a common medication; these agents lower blood pressure primarily by reducing body fluids and thereby reducing peripheral resistance to blood flow. However, they deplete the body’s supply of potassium, so it is recommended that potassium supplements be added or that potassium-sparing diuretics be used. Beta-adrenergic blockers block the effects of epinephrine (adrenaline), thus easing the heart’s pumping action and widening blood vessels. Vasodilators act by relaxing the smooth muscle in the walls of blood vessels, allowing small arteries to dilate and thereby decreasing total peripheral resistance.  Calcium channel blockers promote peripheral vasodilation and reduce vascular resistance. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors inhibit the generation of a potent vasoconstriction agent and they also may retard the degradation of a potent vasodilator (bradykinin) and involve the synthesis of vasodilatory prostaglandins. Angiotensin receptor antagonists are similar to ACE inhibitors in utility and tolerability but instead of blocking the production of angiotensin II, they completely inhibit its binding to the angiotensin II receptor. Statin, best known for its use as a cholesterol-lowering agent, has shown promise as an antihypertensive drug because of its ability to lower both diastolic and systolic blood pressure. The mechanism by which statins act to reduce blood pressure is unknown; however, scientists suspect that these drugs activate substances involved in vasodilation.

As usual, we remind you to take your Memo Plus Gold daily. It will help to keep you alert and mentally sharp. For more information or to order for Memo Plus Gold, please visit : https://oze.my.

Who will be PM if Anwar goes?

 

In this article, I wish to play the devil’s advocate. The question here is simply, who will be the next Prime Minister after Anwar Ibrahim if he is ousted, falls sick or retires?

Or perhaps the question should be who has the political capacity to replace Anwar as Malaysia’s prime minister?

Why am I doing this now? Simple. Many people seem to think that Anwar is an unfit leader. Forget about Perikatan Nasional, they are not the 

many people

 that I referred to.

Who I am referring to are the rakyat in Peninsular Malaysia. I have no idea about how Sabahans and Sarawakians feel and whether they like Anwar or not, but this article is simply a reaction to what I have read in the media by writers from Peninsular Malaysia.

I do not mean to exclude the Malaysian states across the South China Sea, but please excuse my ignorance of the people and the politics of Sabah and Sarawak.

Why people dislike Anwar

Many Malays do not want Anwar because he is seen as a 

servant

 of DAP, which has been portrayed as a devil to Islam and syaitan (the devil) to Malays.

The likes of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Najib Razak, Akmal Saleh and Hishammuddin Hussein have made sure that the Malays never forget that.

The Malays in PAS have recently been taught that to work with DAP, once upon a time their halal hugging partners, is now and forever more 

haram

 in the religious and political sense.

Conveniently left out in their argument is the fact that the Prophet Muhammad asked a Christian king to help the first immigrants in the hundreds; the fact that the Prophet was under the full protection of his ‘kafir’ uncle Abu Talib; and the fact that the Prophet signed an agreement in Madinah with the Jews and Christians.

Oh, and what about the Muslim Malays in DAP? To Malays they are liberals, sesat (lost) and servants of the devil DAP. So the Malays hate Anwar.

The non-Malay view

Then we have the non-Malays. They hate Anwar because he went back on his promises to reform and change many things.

He was supposed to open Universiti Teknologi Mara to everyone else besides Bumiputeras, increase the quotas for public universities, and recognise the Unified Examination Certificate.

He was supposed to tone down on Islam, not 

convert

 an Indian boy and chastise an Indian girl at a university.

If a tree falls in Kuala Lumpur and kills someone, it’s Anwar’s fault.

So, many gave him an ‘F’ and declared they will not vote for Pakatan Harapan. Some said they would not even vote at all.

So, there you have it. The democratic judgement of the rakyat. Anwar must go. Now, how will Anwar go?

At the next general election, many predict that PH will lose its shirt. Or if Umno pulls out because Anwar pandered to non-Malay demands, an election in October would still give PN a majority because many non-Malays will simply stay away and sulk.

The PN contenders

In these scenarios, the one who will replace Anwar would undoubtedly be from the PN leadership. Hadi Awang, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, Muhyiddin Yassin and Hamzah Zainudin are ready and able leadership contenders.

Hadi may be too ill, so my money will be on Tuan Ibrahim. Hamzah may convince the Sabahans and Sarawakians to choose a 

moderate

 Malay from Bersatu as prime minister rather than from among the radical and extremist PAS leaders.

So, the PN answer to the question of who after Anwar is very easy to guess.

Now, what is not so easy to guess is if Anwar falls sick, there is no election, and the unity government remains strong. This is the 20 sen conundrum. Who will be the prime minister?

Among party leaders

In the first round of consideration, let us look at the party leaders. We have Hajiji Noor, Abang Johari Openg, Mohamad Sabu, Loke Siew Fook and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

I do not think that Hajiji and Johari will agree to be prime minister. They neither have the numbers nor experience of Malay politics in Peninsular Malaysia.

I do not think that the Malays will accept a Chinese DAP leader in Loke, even though he is the most capable among the other leaders. So, it is a toss up between Mohamad and Zahid.

With PH’s backing, it would probably be Mat Sabu.

But wait a minute, what about Fadillah Yusof and Zahid as deputy prime minister? Of the two, it would definitely be Zahid as he has the most experience in Malay politics.

Now, some of you may cry out 

What about Rafizi Ramli? Isn’t he the PKR deputy president? Would he not make a good prime minister?

Honestly, I like Rafizi but he would not last two weeks in the prime minister’s office. The civil servants and Umno people will probably run him out.

Who is more hated?

So, it’s goes back to Mohamad or Zahid as the real contenders. The rakyat, both Malays and non-Malays, may hate Anwar – but will they hate Mohamad?

I know the rakyat on both sides of the racial divide hate Zahid with a vengeance.

So, there you are – my prediction and political calculation. If Anwar retires, steps down, or becomes ill and incapacitated, all hail Mat Sabu, PMXI.

Congratulations to the rakyat. Anwar is out. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.