UMNO Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki has slammed Chief Justice Richard Malanjum for dancing with Attorney-General Tommy Thomas and de facto law minister VK Liew to Chubby Checker’s Let’s Twist Again.

Their moves were filmed with a phone camera and the video clip has since gone viral. In the clip, the chief justice is seen grooving with the other guests on stage and on the dance floor at the Legal Year 2019 gala dinner in Kota Kinabalu last night.

Asyraf, in a statement today, condemned Malanjum for dancing with “pro-Pakatan Harapan” lawyers such as former Malaysian Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan and prominent activist Siti Kasim.

He said members of the judiciary, particularly judges, should show more tact in their social interactions.

Asyraf said it is not right for the “chief justice and attorney-general to rub shoulders with politicians and high-profile individuals” as “it courts controversy and erodes the people’s trust in their decisions.”

Not only must justice be done, it must also be seen to be done, he added

“Umno Youth expresses its disappointment at the viralled video, which has damaged the reputation of the judiciary… their conduct breached ethics and raises issues of conflict of interest,” he said.

PKR’s Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has also criticised the chief justice and the attorney-general for their dance performance.

He said judiciary and executive figures must maintain the image of impartiality and the integrity of the institution at official events.

“In 2016, we questioned the then attorney-general and ministers dancing at a Merdeka event. We have to be consistent,” he said in a tweet. 

In 2016, a widely-circulated video showed a man resembling then AG Mohd Apandi Ali dancing with Barisan Nasional ministers, including Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Salleh Said Keruak, Azalina Othman Said, and Nancy Shukri at the Merdeka Day parade. – January 19, 2019.