Apandi Ali says 'no' to Supreme Council spot

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 14 Jul 2018 9:37PM · 7 Comments

Mohamed Apandi Ali says he has pored over the appointment and thought about it deeply. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, October 21, 2017.

FORMER attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali, who was tapped to fill a spot in Umno’s Supreme Council today, has refused the post, saying it would be “inappropriate” for him to accept it.

Apandi was one of 11 to be appointed to the Supreme Council in an announcement by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi earlier today.

“After poring over it and thinking about it deeply, I feel it is inappropriate to accept the appointment as Supreme Council member.

“What plays out in my mind is that the appointment will open the floodgates to a variety of negative perceptions linked to my actions and decisions back when I worked as a judge and attorney-general,” he said in a statement today.

Zahid had earlier today appointed Apandi – alongside others such as a former Wanita Umno leader who lost in the May 9 polls Azizah Mohd Dun, former National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) chairman Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib and the heads of Umno’s three wings – to the Supreme Council in a major restructuring of the party’s leadership.

His choice drew criticism from political leaders, including Kedah Umno Youth chief Hazizy Zainol Abidin, who described Apandi’s appointment as a “political mistake” due to his being implicated in past scandals. 

He said the choice also revealed Umno’s weakness in not being able to produce anyone with the skills to compete with the government.

Apandi had earlier today described the appointment as an honour, saying he would help the party in its efforts to rejuvenate itself and make it relevant in the current political environment. 

Apandi had joined Umno in 1982 and stayed on until 1992, when he moved to the judiciary, first as a judicial commissioner in the Kuantan High Court before being confirmed as a judge in December 2004. In 2010, he was appointed a judge in the Court of Appeal, before being elevated to the Federal Court in 2013. 

He was appointed attorney-general on July 27, 2015, after his predecessor, Abdul Gani Patail’s tenure was terminated.

Tommy Thomas took over as attorney-general on June 5 after Apandi was told to go on leave on May 14 by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. – July 14, 2018.

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Comments

  • In as much as I have disagreed with you and my perception of your past action, I have to agree with your assessment of the situation. You have done the right thing to decline this nomination.

    Posted 5 years ago by Mun Hoong Koh · Reply

  • Finally, you started assessing the situation more maturely. Still, it is a bit too late Apandi. The damage has been done.

    Posted 5 years ago by Debbie Ong · Reply

  • Cut the pretense Apandi, you are fully qualified to be UMNO supreme council by virtue of your sacking as AG and lies on 1MDB. You are truly a disgrace and UMNO fully deserves you!

    Posted 5 years ago by Roger 5201 · Reply

  • That is the right decision.

    Posted 5 years ago by Henry Mancini Jr · Reply

  • Don't give us BS.

    Posted 5 years ago by Savari CJ · Reply

  • Apandi Ali's decision not to accept his appointment to the UMNO Supreme Council is laudable. It would be wrong for him to accept the appointment.

    Posted 5 years ago by Mohd Safar Hasim · Reply

  • Appandi, you are real disgrace to Mlaysian Legal system as for your contradict decisions on !MDB. Please repent. Do the needful as a remorse action where your family and your children will be proud of you. Why you want to risk your credibility as a learned person just to save somebody who is still in contraversy as per rule of law. Come on, Appandi, I hated you just like TUN a few years ago. Now Tun has regereted his past deed to correct himself where now I pray for him daily for his heroic decision to save our nation. Long live TUN. Appandi you may be in the book of changed person if you tell the real truth, nothing but the truth to save your dignity.

    Posted 5 years ago by Muniandy karishnan · Reply