Judicial Independence Torch Passed To Govt Successor Says Ex Cj

---

Freshly retired, former chief justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said she has passed the duty of upholding judicial independence to the government and her unannounced successor.
ADSTengku Maimun, Malaysia’s first female chief justice, turned 66 yesterday, the mandatory retirement age for senior judges. She assumed the position in 2019, after the retirement of her predecessor, Richard Malanjum.
“I no longer have to carry this burden.
“I still find it hard to fathom that I spent six years of my life as chief justice, and that I am now retired from a lifetime of service,” she said at the launch of her book “Beyond The Gavel” as reported by FMT.
She also thanked those in the judiciary and legal fraternity who contributed to the book.
Apart from Tengku Maimun, Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim also retired yesterday.
Earlier, Perikatan Nasional chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan called on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to expedite the appointments of the two top judicial posts, following the mandatory retirements of Tengku Maimun and Abang Iskandar.
Takiyuddin said it is “unprecedented” for both the chief justice and Court of Appeal president posts to be held by Chief Judge of Malaya, Hasnah Hashim, in an acting capacity.
Hasnah’s appointment was announced by Putrajaya after Tengku Maimun’s retirement.
“This is an extremely odd, extraordinary, and unprecedented development in the country’s legal history.
“It raises major questions about the strength of the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, both of which are fundamental to the rule of law in any democracy,” said the former law minister in a statement today.
“Even more shocking is that this appointment comes at a time when the federal government and the prime minister appear to have effectively confirmed the intention behind not extending the service of the previous chief justice and president of the Court of Appeal, both of whom recently retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age,” he added.
ADSWhile FMT’s report named Hasnah as holding all three top judicial positions, the chief registrar of the Federal Court, in a statement, only named her as acting chief justice.
Anwar previously pushed back against calls to extend Tengku Maimun’s term for six months, saying it was an attempt to politicise the judiciary.
However, Takiyuddin today claimed that failure to act promptly and appropriately in the appointment of top judicial positions had sparked perceptions of “obvious interference, deliberate neglect, or worse still, a hidden agenda to influence or control the judiciary”.
The coming months will also see the retirement of other senior judicial figures, including the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abdul Rahman Sebli, and Federal Court judges Nallini Pathmanathan, Zabariah Yusof, and Hanipah Farikullah.
The tenures of Abdul Rahman, Zabariah, and Hanipah have already been extended by six months.- FMT

---