Did Latheefa forget how she became MACC chief, PKR leader asks
Published: Jul 14, 2025 11:38 AM
Updated: 1:50 PM
Lawyer Latheefa Koya's call for the prime minister to be stripped of executive powers to appoint judges is ironic given her background, a PKR division leader claimed.
Batu PKR chief Asheeq Ali Sethi Alivi said the Lawyers for Liberty co-founder should remember that the same executive powers were used to appoint her as MACC chief commissioner in 2019.
"When she was appointed as MACC chief commissioner by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, why did she not call for Mahathir to remove his powers and/or influence over judicial or even MACC appointments?” he said in a statement yesterday.
“Was it because that power benefited certain parties at the time?
"Latheefa should refrain from issuing populist statements, especially when she herself has previously benefited from the very system of power that she now criticises," he added.
Yesterday, Latheefa (above) called for the Federal Constitution to be amended to strip the prime minister and the executive of all influence in the appointment of judges.
This was in response to a leak of purported Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) meeting minutes, which bolstered allegations of judicial interference against a senior judge.
The prime minister's powers to appoint judges and MACC chief commissioners are under different legislation.
Batu PKR chief Asheeq Ali Sethi Alivi
The power to appoint judges is constitutional, whereas the appointment of MACC chief commissioners is based on the MACC Act.
Latheefa, though critical of her successor Azam Baki, has not questioned the process of appointment of MACC chief commissioners.
Not yet authenticated
Asheeq, also a lawyer, drubbed Latheefa for being quick to judge the purported leak of JAC minutes as the "greatest judicial scandal in history".
He said neither the minutes nor the allegations within them have been authenticated.
In contrast, he said the country has faced real serious scandals in the past under Mahathir.
This includes the 1988 constitutional crisis, which saw then-lord president Salleh Abas removed, amendments that curtailed judicial independence, as well as the VK Lingam judge fixing scandal.
"Yet, Latheefa appears to have forgotten them, possibly because they implicate Mahathir," Asheeq accused.
The power to appoint judges is constitutional, whereas the appointment of MACC chief commissioners is based on the MACC Act.
Latheefa, though critical of her successor Azam Baki, has not questioned the process of appointment of MACC chief commissioners.
Not yet authenticated
Asheeq, also a lawyer, drubbed Latheefa for being quick to judge the purported leak of JAC minutes as the "greatest judicial scandal in history".
He said neither the minutes nor the allegations within them have been authenticated.
In contrast, he said the country has faced real serious scandals in the past under Mahathir.
This includes the 1988 constitutional crisis, which saw then-lord president Salleh Abas removed, amendments that curtailed judicial independence, as well as the VK Lingam judge fixing scandal.
"Yet, Latheefa appears to have forgotten them, possibly because they implicate Mahathir," Asheeq accused.
***
kt comments:
I admit, and in the bloggers' world it's well known, that I don't take to Latheefa Koya - don't know why, but could it be because at one time when I was very anti-Anwar, she was then very pro (Anwar, that was) - wakakaka.
And for Latheefa to judge the purported leak of JAC minutes as the "greatest judicial scandal in history", I have to say I'm deeply disappointed when people like her, me and peers know all too well what happened in 1988.
No comments:
Post a Comment