Nine judges, two years, one crisis: Malaysia’s path between Judicial collapse and Constitutional Renewal

Malaysia's judiciary teeters on the brink. An institutional crisis looms—potentially as devastating as 1988's judicial catastrophe—threatening constitutional governance and the rule of law itself. Nine Federal Court judges departing within two years represents far more than administrative upheaval: it's a catastrophic haemorrhaging of judicial wisdom, precisely when institutional memory matters most. We should never have come to this pass. Left unchecked, this depletion spells disaster for the nation. Which path will Malaysia ...

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Are We Witnessing a Barnum circus in Malaysia?

Phineas T. Barnum was the owner of a very popular circus. He once said, “Any publicity, whether good or bad, is good publicity”. Barnum's point was simple: “Nothing is worse than not being talked about”. You might wonder why I quote the owner of a circus. Do you not think that what is happening in Malaysia is nothing more than a huge circus — one that even Barnum himself would ...

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Decriminalising corruption?

We should stop dancing around an inevitable admission: Malaysian corruption laws have failed. Enforcement has failed. Look at the Najib Pardon case; or the ‘Lorry Stickers’ fiasco. Corruption has been ‘formalised’. It has thrived, for 68 years, in a ‘parallel' system 'monetised' by those who have power to open doors. Why not force it into the open? Why not decriminalise it? Why not ask for tax relief for bribes paid? ...

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Could the King – or the Pardons Board – insert an Addendum into a Pardon?

The answer is, No. Why? Since the Najib saga began, the Addendum has been, in Churchill’s words, “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”. In my opinion, the key reasons are: [1]: Pardons cannot be granted ‘in instalments’. [2]: Accepted rules of constitutional interpretation do not at all point to any 'House Arrest' orders (a new Act of parliament is required for that!); and no precedent exists. [3]: ...

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