Politics 101 Malaysia

The Conference of Rulers in a rare move has rejected the government’s choice for the position of chief judge of Malaya - the judiciary’s No 3 post, reports malaysiakini.

Singapore’s Straits Times reported today that the Conference of Rulers had last month asked Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to reconsider the government’s candidate for the position.

The position of chief judge of Malaya has been vacant for seven months since Siti Norma Yaakob - the first woman to hold the post - retired in early this year.

According to Straits Times, all eight existing judges in the Federal Court are qualified for the appointment. However, the post can be filled by a judge from either the Court of Appeal or the High Court.

“There were concerns as to why the candidate was picked over three other more senior judges,” the Straits Times quoted a source as saying. The newspaper did not name the judge recommended by Abdullah. ”Continued”

The China Post, June 18, 2007

The long-awaited murder trial of a political analyst in the slaying of his Mongolian lover started Monday with prosecutors promising to prove that the accused conspired with two policemen to blow up the victim with explosives. The case has been one of Malaysia’s most lurid scandals. The accused political analyst, Abdul Razak Baginda, is close to the governing party as well as Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, and his extramarital affair that ended in a macabre death has been the talk of the country. Prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah told the court that he has evidence to show that the policemen killed Altantuya Shaariibuu, a 28-year-old freelance translator and interpreter, on Oct. 19, 2006. He said he will prove that Abdul Razak, 47, "abetted them by planning and giving instructions to get rid of her by killing her" because she was pestering him for money. ”Continued”

Channel NewsAsia, Jan 31.

Mahathir Mohamad today announced the creation of a war crimes tribunal that would focus on victims of abuse in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

He said the tribunal — and an investigating commission linked to it — was necessary as an alternative to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which he accused of bias in its selection of cases to cover.

The court does not have government backing and Mahathir admitted he needed money to set it up and that it would be hard to persuade heads of government accused of wrongdoing to attend.

“There will be people who take this thing seriously,” he said. “This is not a show.”

“The one punishment that most leaders are afraid of is to go down in history with a certain label attached to them,” he added at a press conference. ”Continued”

Football in the country is famous for one thing — match fixing.

I wonder whether the police and the deputy public prosecutors were in S-league mood with their shoddy investigation and prosecution and questionable standards that led to the acquittal of five men charged with murdering a 21-year-old engineering student.

The Ipoh judge, Justice Singham, said police investigations into the murder of Mohd Hosni Fadzil Mohd Amin were “questionable and clumsiest ever”, carried out “in a very unsatisfactory and irresponsible manner, leaving the court with no choice but to discharge all the accused”.

One of the accused was Azman Ismail @ Man Datuk, a son of former mayor Datuk Ismail Shah Bodin.

Commentary by political analyst Kim Quek, Jan 14.

Anwar Ibrahim’s recent call for transparency and for widening police investigations into the Mongolian model’s murder is a stark reminder that all is not well with the Malaysian government’s handling of this murder case.

In fact the standard of transparency and accountability falls so short of that practiced by a democratic country that once again we are painfully reminded of the perversion of justice that took place in the infamous persecution of Anwar Ibrahim eight years ago. The injustice then was to condemn and persecute an innocent man. This time, perhaps it is to provide shelter to one guilty of murder.

As in the earlier Anwar case, democratic institutions – police, attorney general’s chamber, judiciary and the media - seem to have been mobilized again to act in concert in a critical damage control exercise, upon which may hinge the fate of the power structure of the country. However, before dwelling into the details, let us take a perspective view of the case. ”Continued”

A AFP report, Jan 12, by Elisia Yeo.

Malaysia’s status as a moderate Muslim country is being put to the test in a milestone court decision that may allow Muslims to renounce their faith, a move considered one of Islam’s greatest sins.

The nation’s highest court is to rule on an appeal by Lina Joy, a convert from Islam to Christianity who for a decade has been locked in a battle with the government to have her decision legally recognised.

The appeal brings to a head passionate arguments about whether Muslims can renounce Islam at will and, ultimately, whether Malaysia is a secular country or is morphing into a conservative Islamic state under religious Sharia law. ”Continued”

AsiaSentinel, Jan 12.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim starts asking embarrassing questions about whether someone ordered elite police officers to shut up a jilted model

Questions over the spectacular murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaaribuu came closer to the very top of Malaysian politics Wednesday when opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim asked publicly who had ordered two police officers in Malaysia’s elite Special Operations Force to pick up Shaariibuu from the home of political advisor Abdul Razak Baginda. Abdul Razak was later charged with the woman’s murder along with the two policemen..

Abdul Razak has close ties to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who supervises the Special Operations Force, known by its Malay initials UTK. Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, 30, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, are the special operations officers charged in connection with the case. Police investigators, however, have denied that anybody was involved in the October 20 murder besides those who have already been arrested and charged. ”Continued”

Bernama, Jan 5.

Political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, who has been charged with abetment in the murder of Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu, was sent back to prison today after he failed to get his bail extended.

Judge Datuk K.N.Segara refused to entertain an oral application for the extension as well as interim bail made by his counsel Wong Kian Kheong and ordered Wong to file in a formal application.

“Make a formal application. This is a serious charge. I am not interested (to hear the oral bail application). I want it in the affidavit. You had more than sufficient time to do so. I have already made the ruling and will not entertain anything else,” said Segara who insisted that he needed to proceed hearing another case involving an Iranian man remanded since 1999 and subsequently left the court. ”Continued”

Woooohoooooooo…about time too — the family of the late Rayappan Anthony is suing the Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (Mais) for RM10 mil over the body-snatching incident.

The chain of events clearly shows Mais acted mala fide.

Getting a favourable judgement should be a walk in the park for the plaintiffs. Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of our justice system and have little faith the distressed family would be justly compensated. Not in this sort of landmark case anyway.

It’s entirely possible the plaintiffs will win but will be offered only a token RM1 in damage.