APPOINTING Attorney-General Datuk Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh as chief judge of Malaya would be a step backwards and reflect poorly on the government’s commitment to judicial reform, said Ramkarpal Singh.
“There are numerous qualified candidates from the currently serving Federal Court judges to fill the post of chief judge, and it is understood that recommendations have been made by the Judicial Appointments Committee,” he said, as reported by The Star.
The Bukit Gelugor MP said the matter was reported twice by an online portal suggesting the AG could be slated to be the chief judge of Malaya.
“This should be addressed by the government,” he said.
It was recently reported that Terrirudin was expected to be appointed as a Federal Court judge, with the possibility of later assuming the role of chief judge of Malaya (CJM).
The report said that Terrirudin’s nomination has been submitted by the Prime Minister’s Office for approval by the Conference of Rulers.
“He is likely to be appointed a Federal Court judge first, with the CJM appointment anticipated by the end of September, adhering to constitutional requirements,” said an anonymous source cited by the news portal.
The report also claimed that there is a possibility that Terrirudin may be made a judge of the apex court while leaving the CJM position – the third-highest position in Malaysia’s judiciary – temporarily vacant.
“The issue is not Terrirudin’s performance or competence as the AG, but why there is a need to depart from the practice of appointing a serving Federal Court judge as chief judge especially when there are candidates who certainly qualify for the post?” asked Ramkarpal.
Though there have been such precedents before, he said the question remains whether the present government should follow this practice regarding its commitment to reforms.
“Such precedents ought to be abandoned as they give rise to government interference in the judiciary since such appointments are made on the advice of the prime minister under Article 122B of the Federal Constitution,” he added. – July 14, 2024.
