SULTAN of Selangor Sharafuddin Idris Shah today said that royal pardons couldn’t be given blindly. 

In a statement, he said that in order to give a royal pardon, one must follow the legal procedure that had been set. 

“I have been paying close attention to recent ‘developments’ involving the justice system. 

“I urge Malaysians to always respect the rule of law and the judiciary’s independence,” he said. 

According to him, judges for the Federal Court, the Court of Appeal and the High Court are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong upon the prime minister’s advice and after discussions with the Conference of Rulers, according to Article 122B of the Federal Constitution. 

He added that he supported the King’s statement last week that the power to punish and pardon should not be used arbitrarily because one would be held accountable for it in the ‘afterlife’.  

Last week, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said Islamic justice did not give privileges or exceptions to anyone who committed any wrongdoing. 

“The principle of Islamic justice does not allow any form of injustice, including to those unliked, and upholds justice without favouritism as was practised and which raised the dignity of Islam during the time of Prophet Muhammad.

Meanwhile on Saturday Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat fired back at critics, accusing them of making unfair statements without first understanding the facts. 

She was responding to comments by several politicians, who attacked the judiciary after the five-member Federal Court bench she led quashed Najib Razak’s appeal in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case and ordered him to serve his 12-year prison sentence and pay a RM210 million fine. 

She said the comments were made solely on sentiment and not on the understanding of law. 

“It is not fair to be making statements on things you don’t understand, that would bring chaos to anything if you say something you do not understand 

“You don’t have the basic knowledge, you don’t have the full understanding, yet you’re making statements about it, which is not right,” she said.

It was reported last week that Najib has filed an application for a royal pardon as well as an application to review the Federal Court decision. – September 12, 2022.