KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 ― Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif’s defence that he accepted his reappointment as Chief Justice because the government needed his services has violated the doctrine of the separation of powers, Lim Kit Siang said today.
The DAP parliamentary leader said Raus’ response also contravened the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct 2003 endorsed by the United Nations that establish standards for the ethical conduct of judges.
“Is Raus going to be the first Chief Justice in the world to repudiate and renounce the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct 2003, which had been endorsed by the United Nations to ensure that a ‘judiciary of undisputed integrity’ is the ‘bedrock institution essential for ensuring compliance with democracy and the rule of law’?” Lim said in a statement.
National newswire Bernama reported Raus as acknowledging Saturday that his reappointment as Chief Justice past his retirement age was unprecedented, but claimed it was still constitutional.
Raus took his oath Friday night as Chief Justice for three years with immediate effect.
The Malaysian Bar voted at an extraordinary general meeting last Thursday to legally challenge the extended tenures of Raus and Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin past their retirement age of 66 years and six months that the Bar deemed as unconstitutional.
The Prime Minister’s Office’s July 7 announcement on the duo’s appointment as additional judges, which would effectively extend their terms as two of the country’s most powerful judges, had been met with protests from the legal community.
