Restore our right to appoint judicial commissioners, says Sarawak MP

Santubong MP Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said there had been no reply to his queries in Parliament.

KUCHING: An MP in Sarawak has urged Putrajaya to restore the power of the heads of state in Sabah and Sarawak to appoint judicial commissioners.

Santubong MP Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar supported a call on Friday by the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, David Wong Dak Wah, that the matter be looked into.

Wong had said that a constitutional amendment to Article 122AB in 1994 had been passed by Parliament without the consent of the Sabah and Sarawak governments.

“This amendment took away the power of the respective states’ TYTs to appoint judicial commissioners,” said Wong, adding that the amendment was in contravention of Article 161E(2)(b).

Wan Junaidi said that if Putrajaya was serious about restoring the rights of Sabah and Sarawak as promised, then it should restore the power to appoint judicial commissioners.

Wan Junaidi said several federal laws and legislation had been enforced after passing through Parliament without “complying with the constitutional safeguards”.

He said he had spoken up in Parliament urging the federal government to “repeal, amend or at least seek to regularise those laws or legislation” but there had been no reply. - FMT