CJ appointment ‘an honour for Sabah’
KOTA KINABALU: Those protesting the appointment of Tan Sri Richard Malanjum as Chief Justice of Malaysia should not judge by race or religion, but by the deed that the individual can do for the country.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal when asked for his comment on the protests by some quarters on Malanjum’s appointment as the latter is neither Muslim nor Malay, stressed that what is important is the performance as a Malaysian irrespective of his race and religion.
“I am sure he can perform a lot better and he is one of the most senior people in the country’s legal fraternity. I think (the appointment) is due, we never had one coming from this part of the country,” he told a press conference yesterday.
“We are grateful and honoured with the appointment, what is important is that it must be based on merit and seniority. One good example is Brunei Darussalam which practices Hudud law and its population is mostly Muslim. The Government there has just appointed a Chinese as its Chief Justice.
“So you can imagine a country like Brunei appointing a person with that kind of standing is for the good of the country,” he stressed.
Earlier, Shafie said that the state government extended its deepest appreciation to the conference of rulers and Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Malanjum’s appointment and stressed that it was an honour for Sabah to have one of its own to hold the highest judicial post in the country.
“We sincerely thank the conference of rulers and Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for appointing Tan Sri Richard Malanjum, a native Sabahan, to be the new Chief Justice of Malaysia.
“It is his credentials and contributions to the legal fraternity that make him an appropriate choice. His appointment is a manifestation of meritocracy in Malaysia,” said Shafie in a statement yesterday.
“His vast experience spans almost 40 years and his contributions are notable. He has helped hundreds of villagers to obtain necessary documents by way of dispatching mobile courts to the remotest parts of Sabah and successfully introduced the e-filing system in the East Malaysian courts,” he said.
Shafie added that the state government believed the appointment of the Chief Justice would further expedite the delivery of justice for all Malaysians.
Malanjum’s achievements in Sabah and Sarawak thus far demonstrated what he is capable of accomplishing for the country, Shafie said and pointed out that the new government of Malaysia aims to serve all its people irrespective of race and religion.
In reply to a question of whether Malanjum’s appointment was the federal government’s way of honouring the MA63 as Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau had claimed, Shafie said, “I don’t think it was solely (because of that).”
He reiterated that it was surely because of Malanjum’s seniority in the legal fraternity and believed that assessment had been done by the Government on who would be the most qualified people to be appointed as Chief Justice.
“I think that is the most important basic principle that we must adhere to, we cannot just say that (this is done because) there is a demand coming from this group, it is not purely because of that. I believe that consideration has been taken by the Rulers and the Prime Minister based on his seniority, ability and capacity to deliver as a senior judge in Malaysia,” he said.