KUALA LUMPUR: A senior lawyer said people had become too comfortable due
to the country’s prosperity.
Zaid Ibrahim, the member of parliament for Kota Baru said:
“I’m depressed because I sense that in the comfort of our economic growth,
people don’t seem to care.
“Almost 2,000 lawyers marching is a threat to national security but people don’t
seem to worry about that. Even the bench does not seem worried.”
Speaking at a coffee-table talk on the Constitution and what it meant to him at
the 14th Malaysian Law Conference 2007 yesterday, he added: “There seems to be a
semblance of independence of the judiciary and a semblance of separation of
powers. We seem to be a country of ’some semblance’.”
He said, going by interviews in the press, some leaders came off as being
arrogant and this was not good for the country.
For the right judges to be appointed, said Zaid, there had to be an open way of
selecting them.
“There can’t be statements like only judges who understand national interest
would be promoted.
“And how can the Bar Council be likened to an opposition group? That is because
you just don’t care.”
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz
was reported in the New Sunday Times as saying the lawyers were behaving like
the opposition by marching on Sept 26 to demand the setting up of a royal
commission to investigate a video clip purportedly showing lawyer Datuk V.K.
Lingam brokering judicial appointments with a senior judge.
Retired Court of Appeal judge Datuk V.C. George, who was chairing the
coffee-table talk, also commented on Nazri’s statement that the move to clean up
the judiciary had to come from the judiciary as it would run foul of the
Constitution if it came from the Executive.
“We both have something in common, that is, we both know nothing about the
Constitution.
“I want the Bar Council to write a note to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi informing him that the Constitution does not provide for judges to
be consulted in amending the constitution regarding appointments and promotions
of judges.”
Asked about this, Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan said she would look
into the suggestion.
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KUALA LUMPUR: A senior lawyer said people had become too comfortable due
to the country’s prosperity.
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