PUTRAJAYA must convene a special parliamentary meeting to address the “attacks” on the judiciary, M. Kulasegaran said today.

The Ipoh Barat MP said the government’s silence on the matter shows that it is insincere towards the memorandum of understanding (MOU) it signed with the opposition pact last September.

“Government MPs will have a chance to say that it will not tolerate any attempts to undermine the confidence of our judiciary as the absolute silence shows its insincerity towards the MOU,” Kulasegaran said in a statement today. 

He said the special meeting will also allow MPs to debate and adopt an all-party resolution to address the attacks on the judiciary and uphold the principle of the separation of powers.

While article 127 of the Federal Constitution prohibits Parliament to discuss the conduct of judges, there are provisions to circumvent this, he said.

Kulasegaran’s call comes on the back of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat’s comment last month that criticisms of the judiciary have gone overboard.

There were allegations of her having agreed to interfere in the court cases of former prime minister Najib Razak and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, which led to the office of the chief registrar of the Federal Court to lodge a police report denying them. 

The office had said there was no basis to the claim that the chief justice had agreed to expedite the cases against the two politicians. 

Former High Court judge and now Court of Appeal judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who presided over Najib’s SRC International trial, also lodged a report last week over a news article alleging that he is being investigated for unexplained money in his bank account.

The office of the chief registrar said Nazlan denied the “false, baseless and malicious allegations” aimed at undermining his credibility as a Court of Appeal judge.

The Bar Council is in the midst of convening an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the matter and a possible protest. – May 5, 2022.