SHAH ALAM – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to upholding judicial independence, stressing that there will be no interference in any decisions made by the judiciary.
Anwar said that while the government is responsible for ensuring that judicial appointees are competent and independent, it does not intervene in the decision-making process.
“I want to ask, which case have we interfered in? Which decision have I discussed with the judges?
“There is absolutely no interference in judicial decisions, none whatsoever. Not even once do I speak to the judges or the CJ (chief justice) or any members of the judiciary.
“For me, this is important. We do not interfere. There are other processes we discuss, but I want to emphasise that this does not mean the prime minister is always right or that the chief justice is always right.
“There must be oversight, there must be checks and balances, and there must be bodies to determine whether taxes are being paid and whether there are perspectives on corruption, as these issues have previously occurred widely within the judiciary.
“So, if you ask me, every change must be made with great caution. The most important thing is that we start with what we have initiated—do not interfere in judicial matters,” he said in his speech at the 18th DAP Congress held at the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) today.
Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, also said that the government seeks to ensure judicial appointees are not influenced by business interests or corruption.
“This is our responsibility in government because we are the ones who must answer in Parliament and to the people. We cannot simply say that we are independent and will not be questioned. The ones who will be questioned are the prime minister and the cabinet,” he said.
Meanwhile, at the 79th Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Bar yesterday, members unanimously passed two amended resolutions concerning judicial appointments and the Bar’s role in defending judicial independence.
The resolutions, proposed by lawyer Alex De Silva and seconded by Razlan Hadri, were approved with unanimous support, including from all 42 Bar Council members present at the meeting.
The first resolution states that the Bar must strongly condemn any interference in judicial independence by the executive, legislature, or any individual or entity seeking to undermine the constitutional and legal framework governing judicial appointments, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution and the Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2009.
It also calls on the government to establish an independent commission of inquiry to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the speech delivered by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat at the Opening of the Legal Year (OLY) in January.
The inquiry aims to determine whether constitutional and legal procedures were followed in recent judicial appointments.
The second resolution mandates the Bar to take immediate and transparent actions, including but not limited to public statements, memoranda, or legal proceedings, in response to credible information regarding interference in judicial independence or undue influence in judicial appointments.
It further calls for the Bar to reaffirm its unwavering commitment to defending judicial independence without fear or favour, as a fundamental duty enshrined in the Constitution and the law. – March 16, 2025