SERDANG – Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has taken a swipe at Umno leaders who questioned the judiciary, following the Federal Court’s recent decision that sent Datuk Seri Najib Razak straight to jail for corruption.
Muhyiddin did not specifically name Najib’s case, but noted that several Umno leaders had been criticising the judiciary for being unfair.
“It is not fair for any political party to question the independence of the judiciary or even worse, to threaten the judges just because their leaders were sentenced. They must obey the court’s verdict,” Muhyiddin, who is Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman, said today at the coalition’s inaugural convention here.
Najib’s conviction for all seven charges in his SRC International Sdn Bhd corruption case was upheld by the apex court’s five-member bench led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat on August 23. The former prime minister was jailed immediately and will serve 12 years as well as pay a RM210 million fine.
Prior to the Federal Court’s verdict, Tengku Maimun had come under attack on social media, while after the verdict, Umno leaders and Najib’s family members have continued to call the court’s decision unfair and biased, also claiming an unfair trial for the Pekan MP.
Muhyiddin in his speech at the PN convention recalled Malaysia’s judicial crisis in the 1980s, when the judiciary came under threat from the Executive, leading to the removal of the then Lord President of the Supreme Court Tun Salleh Abas.
“The independence of the judiciary was questioned back then because of allegations of interference from the executive branch in court matters.
“However, there was a positive development after this judicial crisis. Judges are protected by the law and the federal constitution in carrying out their duties and functions of upholding justice,” said the Bersatu president.
The 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis followed a tumultuous time in Umno after its party elections the year before. Salleh’s removal as then Lord President was under the administration of then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Many have viewed this episode as the end of judicial independence in Malaysia.
Muhyiddin said PN would continue to uphold the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in accordance with the federal constitution and the Rukun Negara principles. – The Vibes, August 27, 202
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