KUALA LUMPUR — The legal rights of Muslims are now under threat following the appointments of non-Muslims into top legal positions in the country, PAS has said.
PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan questioned the Pakatan Harapan government’s rationale in appointing non-Muslims for the posts of the Attorney General, Chief Justice, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s office in charge of legal affairs.
“Now it is complete, the triumvirate of the legal sectors and judiciary are being helmed by figures that worries the Muslim community.
“Since these three positions are held by worrying figures, what hope is there to look forward to in the sense of the legal welfare for the Muslims in the country,” he said in a statement.
This comes as Tan Sri Richard Malanjum was sworn in as the Chief Justice at the Istana Negara last night.
Richard will assume the role following the departure of Tun Mod Raus Sharif, who is set to retire on July 31.
Nasruddin said that Richard’s decisions as a judge in past cases were “worrying” as they seemed to be biased against Muslims.
But he did not elaborate this assertion or back it up with facts.
“Unfortunately, the PH government has been ‘deaf’ to the cries and ‘blind’ to the reaction of the Muslim community concerning these developments,” he said.
RELATED STORY: ‘Malanjum bumiputera, graduan UiTM, tapi masih tak cukup?’
Nasrudin also questioned if the swearing-in of Richard was a rushed job, considering the current chief justice is only set to leave at the end of the month.
“It could be that Tun Md Raus was forced to file a resignation letter that would take effect immediately,” he alleged.
“Muslims were already topsy-turvy during the time of Barisan Nasional, but it is clear now the changes being pledged are actually guided towards a bad and worse off situation.
“What sort of situation is this where Muslims are saved from the tiger’s jaw but are instead ripped apart by a crocodile,” Nasrudin said. — MALAY MAIL
Borneo Bumi and a UiTM graduate not good enough to be CJ? Kit Siang’s aide asks
KUALA LUMPUR — Critics who dispute the appointment of Tan Sri Richard Malanjum as Chief Justice are ignoring the historic significance of the occasion, Syahredzan Johan said today.
The lawyer and political secretary to DAP’s Lim Kit Siang pointed out that Malanjum is a Bumiputera and the first native judge from Borneo Malaysia to be elevated to the country’s highest judicial position.
“The first Chief Justice from Borneo, a Bumiputera and a graduate of UiTM, but still insufficient for them, why?” Syahredzan wrote in a Facebook posting in Malay.
“Therefore they will embellish with all sorts of indefensible excuses,” he added.
He was responding to public criticism of Malajum, 65, who was sworn in as the country’s top judge yesterday, replacing Tun Md Raus Sharif.
Syahredzan said some of the critics had even questioned Malanjum’s qualifications.
He acknowledged that some of the critics are not familiar with the judicial system, and told them Malanjum had been the Chief of Judge of Sabah and Sarawak prior to his new position.
He further highlighted that Malanjum was the most senior of all the current judges in the top court.
Malay Muslim conservatives, including PAS politicians, claim the Sabah-born Malanjum’s appointment as Chief Justice will jeopardise their community’s interests by touting select court cases in which his judgment was different from the other judges.
“Those who dispute the appointment of YAA TS Richard raised past decisions in cases like Lina Joy. Apparently with YAA TS Richard as Chief Justice, if there are such cases, it will ‘not side with Islam’ (whatever that means).
“To me, they forget or pretend to forget that a decision in the Federal Court is not made by just one judge. Even in those cases mentioned YAA TS Richard was a ‘dissenting judge’ and not the majority,” Syahredzan wrote.
He added that if the critics made themselves familiar with the Federal Constitution, they would then be aware that there is no need to fear Malanjum’s appointment as the latter would serve less than two years at most, until April 2019, due to his age. – MALAY MAIL
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