Rafizi If Pkr Suspends Me For Petition What About Nurul Izzah

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Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli has taken his party’s critics to task, questioning whether they would now call for PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar's suspension after she attended the Malaysian Bar's march for judicial independence.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Rafizi, who is Nurul Izzah's predecessor, said her action puts the party "in a funny spot".
"Now the party is in an awkward situation, because if anyone proceeds to lodge a complaint to have us (nine PKR MPs) suspended, my defence is Nurul Izzah. Excuse me, she went!" Rafizi pointed out.
"She could have spared the party because, as deputy president, they (grassroots members) would take heed of the top leadership's signal. The nine MPs are just backbenchers.
ADS“Our views are based on our perspective that we can exercise our duty as MPs,” said the former economy minister.
Nineteen Johor PKR division chiefs had demanded the suspension of Rafizi and eight other party MPs for violating party discipline by holding a public press conference calling for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into judicial appointments.
A day later, 11 PKR division chiefs from Kedah threw their support behind the call.
Rafizi and the eight other PKR MPs had also urged the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on institutional reforms to investigate alleged judicial interference.
Mixed signals
Rafizi explained that the party leadership hadn't taken an official position on the judicial interference issue, which led to some grassroots leaders jumping the gun in calling for the suspensions.
The former PKR deputy president argued that Nurul Izzah's participation in the march demonstrated where she stood on the matter.
"I think that by the fact that she joined the march today she subscribes to our similar concerns with what is happening in the judiciary,” he said.
Nurul Izzah Anwar at the Malaysian Bar march todayHe also expressed hope that PKR's new leaders are "agile enough to respond to public issues and avoid what happened today".
PKR should be at forefront
Rafizi lamented that Nurul Izzah's presence at the march would now be seen as an afterthought.
"PKR always has to live up to expectations, especially when it comes to reform-related issues, where there is always the expectation that we have to be leading the charge.
ADS"I hope she picks up the pace, so in future, we will be seen as leading the charge and not appear for a photoshoot," he added.
After participating in the march, Nurul Izzah said concerns about interference in the judiciary have been strengthened by the leaked police report that a judge's aide lodged, as well as the leak of purported Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) minutes.
"These allegations must be investigated transparently to restore the people's trust in the judiciary," she stressed.
Nurul Izzah suggested the probe can be initiated by setting up an independent tribunal made up of five senior judges.
On June 12, a senior judge had ordered his aide to lodge a police report after Malaysiakini contacted the judge seeking comment on allegations that the judge was accused of judicial interference during a JAC meeting in May.
The report was leaked two weeks later.
On Saturday, purported JAC meeting minutes from May were leaked on social media - and appeared to corroborate the allegations against the judge, as well as concerns of broader judicial interference.
Nurul Izzah said that for justice to be upheld, it was crucial that there be no interference in the judiciary, whether external or internal.
PKR member defends Nurul Izzah
In a statement, lawyer and PKR member Ahmad Nizam Hamid expressed appreciation towards Nurul Izzah for her presence at the march.
He said that this demonstrates her commitment to defending judicial independence, and requested that no disciplinary action be enforced.
"As a member of PKR, I request that the secretary-general of PKR not take disciplinary action such as conducting investigations against Nurul Izzah, or better still, not be overly excited in issuing media statements as was done in the case of the nine related MPs.
"At the same time, I also appeal to the branch leaders from Johor and Kedah, from the depths of my heart, please do not make complaints for suspension or any disciplinary action against Nurul Izzah," he added.
Nizam also offered his legal services to defend Nurul Izzah, should PKR move to take disciplinary action against her. - Mkini

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