KIT SIANG WANTS DEBATE ON CJ APPOINTMENT - malaysiakini

By Debra Chong

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 – The DAP wants Parliament to debate the appointment of former Umno member Tan Sri Zaki Azmi as Chief Justice.

Its parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said that holding an open debate in the Dewan Rakyat now was the best available option to restore the “national and international confidence in the independence, impartiality and integrity of the judiciary.”

Lim, who is the MP for Ipoh Timur, has been consistently critical of the appointment, calling it “the most controversial appointment as head of judiciary in the nation’s 51 years”.

He pointed out that Zaki lacks experience as he was never a High Court judge. He also contends that Zaki’s close political and business ties with Umno may lead to biased rulings in his future judgements.

He highlighted Malaysia’s poor judicial system standing in a recent Asian survey conducted by Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risks Consultancy (Perc) last month. Malaysia ranked seventh, behind even the Philippines.

Lim also highlighted another local survey conducted by Transparency International Malaysia which drew a gloomier picture of the public’s confidence in the judiciary.

The survey found 91 per cent of lawyers polled believing that the judicial appointments and process in the higher courts had been unduly influenced by the federal government or those in authority.

As many as 96 per cent of lawyers interviewed also believed judicial appointments to be subject to influence; while 94 per cent thought that judges were susceptible to accepting bribes in return for “favourable judgments”.

The DAP advisor said he was personally “inclined” to give Zaki the benefit of the doubt for now and let him prove himself in the next five years through “bold and visionary leadership fo judicial reform.”

However, Lim thinks that it would be in the country’s best interest now to challenge Zaki’s appointment. This, he noted in his press statement, can be done by invoking Article 127 of the Federal Constitution.

The substantive motion only needs the support of 55 MPs to be tabled. -- MI