©Bernama
(Used by permission)
PETALING JAYA, March 29 (Bernama) –– Minister in the Prime Minister's Department
Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said his proposal for the Federal Government to apologise to
those victimised in the 1988 judicial crisis "should not be construed as an
attempt to embarass anyone or even to undo former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad's legacy".
"We should view this positively. Times have changed. The country has changed, we
need to revitalise our institutions –– the judiciary, legal service, police,
Parliament and all the institutions," he said in a press conference here
Saturday.
The press conference was called by Zaid to respond to various feedback he had
received via letters and statements, including from Dr Mahathir, which he
claimed questioned the motive of his proposal wanting the government to
apologise to the judges dismissed in 1988.
He reiterated that "this reform is not to underscore the political message or to
embrass anyone. There will be many things more that we will propose to undo the
past".
He said the welcoming of the proposal by former Lord President Tun Mohd Salleh
Abbas and others, including the Bar Council, showed that his suggestion was good
and "I think we must press on with this apology".
On March 22, Zaid, as the newly appointed cabinet minister in charge of the
judiciary, proposed that the government apologise to those victimised by the
judicial crisis in 1988 that led to the sacking of Salleh and the suspension of
five Supreme Court Judges –– Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin, Tan Sri Eusoffe
Abdoolcader, Tan Sri Wan Hamzah Mohamed Salleh, Tan Sri Wan Sulaiman Pawanteh
and Datuk George Seah.
He said the idea was not new and that the proposal was in accordance with the
efforts for the government to institute reform and restore the people's
confidence in a judiciary which has capable, trustworthy and incorruptible
judges who were prepared to defend freedom of rights and upholding of the
country's laws.
"We want these judges, not judges who can be bought, who can be ordered around,
who had no principles or integrity. I hope nobody would suggest that my motive
is ill–intentioned," he said.
Touching on Dr Mahathir's comment in the newspapers yesterday on his suggestion,
Zaid said he was not offended by Dr Mahathir's comment and added that "I have a
lot of regard and respect for him. He has done a lot for the country but we have
to move on".
"I have never done anything wrong. I have supported many controversial issues
which he has implemented. During the constitutional crisis in 1990, others
became afraid but I was with him. I defended his proposal," he said.
Zaid said his proposal for the government to apologise was not intended to
embarrass anyone or to prove a point but was the basis of the desire of the
administration of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri
Najib Tun Razak to reform the administration of laws.
"They want to change the legal area of judiciary reform. We should give them a
chance," he said.
Asked on Dr Mahathir statement's on Friday that Zaid, who was then the President
of the Muslim Lawyers Association, had fully supported the government's action
that was taken in 1988, he said it was not correct.
"That is their conclusion. They inferred from my supporting the legality of the
tribunal, so therefore they support it. Whatever it is, I want to say this. If I
have done wrong against Tun (Salleh) and other judges, I am prepared to
apologise," he said.
He said this act of humility was nessecary as a first step and added that "if we
are not prepared to do this, we will be in the same old time zone. We are not
going to change".
"I have said many times in Parliament and elsewhere that we should appologise
for that episode. I myself, if I had said something that hurt Tun Salleh or
other judges, if I had condoned the act as I had said in Parliament, I apologise,"
he said.
On the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the controversial Lingam video clip,
which concluded its proceedings last month, he said the government had not
received any report from it yet.
Commission chairman Tan Sri Haidar Mohamed Noor said on the final day of the
proceedings on Feb 15 that a report would be submitted to the Yang di–Pertuan
Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, on March 11.
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Apology proposal not to embarass anyone, says Zaid
29 Mar 2008 12:00 am