No party should intimidate judiciary: Social activist

PETALING JAYA: The judiciary should not be intimidated by any organisation as it is an independent body that is the guardian of justice for everyone.

Social activist Tan Sri Robert Phang said any type of probe involving a judge must be above board.

“The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had said its investigation was not based on a blogger’s claims on social media platforms but three formal complaints and reports lodged with the commission.

“The question MACC has failed to answer is what was the basis of the three reports, who made them and why. If it was based on the blogger’s claim, then MACC should also investigate the blogger and those who made the reports,” he told theSun.

Phang said every time someone is unhappy with a judge’s decision, they may resort to making allegations about the judge.

“If this becomes a trend, it will hurt the judiciary,” he said.

He asked whether MACC will investigate every single allegation made against judges or just pick and choose what it wants.

“It must be remembered that for MACC to carry out its duty successfully it must have the trust and support of the public.

“Any action that can erode this trust should be avoided as it would make the MACC an ineffective body,” said Phang, a former MACC advisory board member.

Phang said it is easy to make allegations that can tarnish a person’s reputation and MACC must be aware that its investigations can hurt a person’s reputation if the claims are ultimately baseless.

Phang was commenting on Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali being investigated by MACC over allegations of unexplained money in his account.

Mohd Nazlan was the judge who convicted former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over the misappropriation of RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.

On April 20, fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin posted an article titled “Judge Mohd Nazlan being investigated for unexplained RM1 million in his bank account” on his Malaysia Today website.

Mohd Nazlan filed a police report on the allegation made against him in the blog post.

Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat in a speech recently said judges are not beyond criticism, but “the public, including politicians, must not level unfounded and scurrilous attacks against the judiciary to further their ends”.

MACC said recently it had completed its investigations into the allegations against Mohd Nazlan and had handed over the investigation papers to the attorney-general.

Phang said whatever it may say, MACC cannot be seen to be conducting “selective investigations”.

REVOKE TAJUDDN’S AMBASSADORIAL APPOINTMENT IMMEDIATELY

20^th May 2022.
 
PRESS STATEMENT BY:-
TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG MIOW SIN.
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.
CHAIRMAN – SOCIAL CARE FOUNDATION

Many of the Rakyat agree with Patriot’s verdict on the appointment of Tajuddin.  It must be made known as to why such a controversial figure like Tajuddin, be appointed to such an esteemed and honourable position.  Surely but truly there are many more highly qualified and good character persons for the YAB PM to consider seriously.

Majority of the Rakyat do not question YAB PM’s authority but perhaps definitely a better candidate should be considered.  It has been said that Tajuddin’s appointment bears a lot of untold stories.  Please do bear in mind, even as the YAB PM has assured that Indonesia has welcomed this appointment, many of the Rakyat think otherwise.

The pride and dignity of our beloved country will question and many think upon this appointment.  The public consent and worry is slowly growing with an overwhelming protest of the appointment.  The veteran UMNO lawmaker Tajuddin has often made the news but mostly for the wrong reasons especially his antics, whether in or out of the Parliament. The most recent being the callous and ridiculous response to the Kelana Jaya LRT collision which caused many of the LRT patrons to be injured, some seriously.

Please take note that Patriot is joined by numerous disapproval including former Bar Council and Bersih leader Ambiga Sreenevasan, which in turn has stated that Tajuddin’s appointment was a political move to reward Tajuddin for his hand in keeping a government with a tenuous majority in power.  Ha, Ha, nothing short of an explanation is mandatory to the Rakyat.

To put it in prospective, the appointment of Tajuddin as our country’s Ambassador to Indonesia is nothing less than a GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT AND AN UTTER DISGRACE.

 

“HUMBLENESS IS A GOOD VIRTUE, ARROGANCE SHALL FALL AND THE MEEK WILL RULE THE WORLD”.

 

Tan Sri Datuk Robert Phang Miow Sin.
Justice of the Peace.        
 

Anti-graft panel should be elected '

PETALING JAYA: Members of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Committee should be elected instead of being appointed by the government, said former committee member Tan Sri Robert Phang, adding that the committee should have one member from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), two legal representatives and three elected members.

“The elected members must be people of good standing. This is one of the ways to restore public trust in the agency. MACC must also be transparent in every action it takes to show the public that there is no bias when it carries out its duties.”

Phang said the MACC chief commissioner must be ready to explain to the committee the reasons for the commission's actions.

He added that the head of MACC should state reasons for his actions when asked by the committee, and elected members are needed to alleviate public distrust.

“In doing this, the public would feel that they also have to say in the way MACC is run,” he said.

Recently, certain actions by MACC had caused the public to question the reasons the agency had initiated certain investigations.

“When committee members are appointed by the government, there can always be an element of favouritism. They may try to help certain people associated with them.

“The committee may also be biased towards certain people while some committee members might just be afraid to speak out as they may fear repercussions.”

Phang said there was a need for outspoken committee members as they would be able to reign in the MACC head if he steps out of line, adding that the more outspoken the committee members, the better it would be as the agency would realize that it will be held to account by those who are part of it.

He said this would also make those in charge of MACC tread carefully and not just do whatever they wished, and this can be done if just three of the committee members are elected by the public, allowing the committee to act without fear or favour.

Phang added that decisions made by the committee should also be open to scrutiny, not only by Parliament but also by the public.

“Transparency and integrity should become the bywords in MACC and for the committee to show the public that they have nothing to hide when taking action. This would also help ensure fairness and rebuild public trust.”

He said it was also important for the public to speak out whenever they see any wrongdoing and that by having elected committee members, the public would feel protected by them when speaking out against wrongdoings.

Source:https://ipaper.thesundaily.my/epaper/viewer.aspx?publication=The%20Sun%20Daily#page/2