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Bar Council backs Salleh apology move
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Ex–Bar Council chief lauds Zaid's proposal
©Bernama
(Used by permission)
KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 (Bernama) –– The Malaysian Bar Council has given full
support to newly–appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk
Zaid Ibrahim's proposal that the Federal Government make an apology to
those who were victimised in the 1988 judicial crisis.
It's president Ambiga Sreenevasan said: "It is high time to do such things, which
had been there for some 20 years and the minister's move is absolutely correct.
We whole–heartedly support him.
"Everybody knows that the 1988 judicial crisis was all a sham. Might as well do
the right thing now. What had happened then was an executive interference in the
judiciary," she told Bernama today.
Ambiga said the Bar had also raised the matter and had called for an impartial
review of the crisis two years ago when Yeo Yang Poh was at the helm of the Bar.
On the judicial appointment commission, which was also raised by Zaid, she said
it had been one of the Bar's wish list and hoped to work with him more.
The outspoken Zaid, a prominent lawyer and Umno politician, did not contest in
the last election but was sworn in as a Senator before he was named the minister
in charge of legal affairs and judicial reform.
Yesterday, he openly suggested that the Federal Government must make an apology
to those victimised by the judicial crisis in 1988 that led to the sacking of
the then Lord President Tun Mohd Salleh Abbas.
The crisis also led to five Supreme Court Judges who granted an interloctory
order made by Salleh to be suspended. They were Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin, Tan Sri
Eusoffe Abdoolcader, Tan Sri Wan Hamzah Mohamed Salleh, Tan Sri Wan Sulaiman
Pawanteh and Datuk George Seah.
Zaid was also quoted as saying that although the crisis was 20 years ago, an
apology was needed as it was wrongly handled and Tun Salleh's sacking was
inappropriate.
The open apology would be one of his three main goals and would give a mandate
for a fresh chapter to unfold in the country judiciary system.
Meanwhile, prominent lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah also agreed with the
move although the crisis happened 20 years ago.
"I speak in my individual capacity that the action taken against the judges was
wrong. As a member of the Bar Council, we also support the proposed action," he
told Bernama.
On the judicial appointments comission, he suggested that it be phased in
gradually.