Judicial walk shows legal eagles’ resolve to protect justice: Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR – The Walk for Judicial Independence this morning is clear evidence the legal fraternity remains cognisant of its critical role in upholding justice, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in lauding the Malaysian Bar for organising the gathering.

In a statement today, the opposition leader described the walk as a positive sign that the country’s democracy is a constantly evolving work in progress.

“It is one strengthened by a citizenry that cares deeply about preserving the spirit of our democracy and the federal constitution,” he said.

Earlier today, some 500 lawyers and like-minded individuals converged at Padang Merbok’s car park as part of a planned march to Parliament to hand over a memorandum to the government expressing their dissatisfaction at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for threatening the judiciary independence. 

However, police barricaded the road out of Padang Merbok to Jalan Parlimen.

The memorandum was eventually submitted to Deputy Law Minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin after she made her way to the gathering and promised to submit the document to both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar. 

In his statement, Anwar reminded that the independence of the judiciary cannot be taken for granted.

He also cited a famous quote by the late Sultan Azlan Shah, who served as the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 1989 to 1994, that the existence of the courts and judges in every ordered society proves nothing and it is their quality, independence, and powers which matter.

“Sultan Azlan Shah goes on to say the rules that protect judicial independence ‘are designed to guarantee that they will be free from extraneous pressures and independent of all authority, save that of the law. They are, therefore, essential to the preservation of the rule of law’,” Anwar noted.

With this in mind, the PKR president said elected leaders as well as the general public are duty-bound to act to strengthen the judicial institution so it can fulfil its role as a cornerstone of democracy.

“Since time immemorial, forces have tried to undermine Malaysia’s democratic institutions in order to achieve their selfish gains at the expense of the rakyat.

“Thus, Malaysians must remain vigilant in defending the institutions that protect our rights through the means granted to us through the constitution, from the power of our votes at the ballot box to exercising our constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech."

Today’s march comes on the back of MACC’s investigation into Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who convicted and sentenced former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on corruption-related charges in 2020. https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/59293/macc-probes-coa-judge-nazlan-over-allegation-of-unexplained-money

The senior judge is being probed by the anti-graft body over allegations of unexplained money in his account, which courted flak and condemnation from various quarters. – The Vibes, June 17, 2022