Pakar wants equal opportunities as partners

KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Henrynus Amin, the president of Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri (Pakar), concurs with the views of the legal fraternity, the Bar Council, that no Federal Court judge can hold an administrative post after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 66 plus an additional six months of extension.

Raus Sharif, Chief Justice of the Federal Court is scheduled to retire on August 3, and Zulkefli Ahmad, Court of Appeal president is scheduled to retire on September 27, this year.

On July 7 a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said the King had approved former Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria’s proposal to appoint Raus and Zulkefli as additional judges.

George Varuhese, president of the Malaysian Bar Council, also took the view that the appointment of Raus and Zulkefli as additional judges was blatantly unconstitutional.

Pakar is of the view that Sabahans and Sarawakians were given assurances such as equitable opportunities as partners in the formation of Malaysia.

After 54 years in Malaysia, Pakar feels that since Sabah has a highly qualified and most senior Sabahan in the legal field, Tan Sri Richard Malanjum, the Chief Judge of the High Court of Borneo, should be given the chance to fill the position as Chief Justice of the Federal Court.

This is why Pakar needs to fight for Sabahans, especially the Anak Negeri special rights in Malaysia, Henrynus added.