MORE PICS & Video – Thousands Marched For Justice -Putra Jaya Sep 26 07; Cars Blocked - Hundreds Walked; 4-member delegation submitted 2 Memos to PM
ABOVE: The historical BIG March for Justice starts; BELOW: Lead by Bar Council Members
ABOVE & BELOW: Followed by all and sundry present.
and BELOW: Watched by the FRU Police
= == = == = == == =2,000 back Bar Council's memo to PM
R. Manirajan and B. Suresh Ram; theSUN, Updated:
ABOVE: Bar Council members carrying a banner when marching from the
PUTRAJAYA (Sept 26, 2007): About 2,000 lawyers and supporters converged today in a show of support as officials of the Bar Council handed over two memorandums to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, calling for the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the controversial video clip, and a Judicial Appointment Commission. The memorandum was handed over to Abdullah’s political secretary from his Internal Security Ministry, Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh by council president Ambiga Sreenivasan and three other members, including senior lawyer Datuk Shafie Abdullah, at about
The handing over of the memorandums followed Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s unveiling of a video recording of a telephone conversation between a senior lawyer and a "Datuk", that sounded like they were brokering the appointment of judges to important positions.
In a press conference later, Ambiga said the council has asked for a meeting with Abdullah and this was conveyed to his political secretary, adding that there were several recommendations made to the government on improving the judiciary. Abdullah is in
Earlier, about five bus loads of Bar members were not allowed to enter Putrajaya. They had to walk 5km from the highway to the
ABOVE: Bar President Ambiga Sreenevasan speaking to reporters: BELOW: meeting old friends
= = == = == = == = == = = == = == = == = = ==
Original Post:
MORE PICS & Video – Thousands Marched For Justice - Putra Jaya Sep 26 07; Hundreds had to Walk there; A four-member delegation submitted 2 memos to an official from the PM's Department, calling for a royal commission to look into controversial Video Clip & Judiciary Appointment Commission & stem the rot in the Judiciary.
ABOVE & BELOW: Malaysiakini breaking stories of the Protest March in Putra Jaya under the headings. Protesters barred from entering Putrajaya
Protesters handing over memo
ABOVE: When the horse is dead (buses are stopped) , get down and walk - applying the classical Chinese saying
= === = The weather there was fine in Putra Jaya in the morning but showers came later, where as it was raining in KL And BELOW some of the Satellite pictures that captured the Protest & March. More Coming if and when available
ABOVE: Bar President Ambiga Sreenevasan addressing the crowd: BELOW: another Council Member Speaking 
= = == = == = == = == = == = == == == = = ==
= = == = == = == = == = == = == == == = = ==Wednesday September 26,
Malaysian lawyers defy police in rare protest march
PUTRAJAYA (AFP) - Hundreds of Malaysian lawyers defied police Wednesday to stage a rare protest demanding a probe into allegations that a lawyer fixed judicial appointments with a senior judge. Supporters, including members of the opposition Democratic Action Party and Keadilan, swelled the crowd to around 1,000 as the lawyers led the march in the administrative capital of Putrajaya. Police presence was heavy as the march began from the 
= = == = == = == = == = == = == == == = = =
The recording purportedly shows a well- connected lawyer telling a judge over the telephone that he would push his name forward for a senior appointment. The protest went ahead despite the government's announcement Tuesday that a special independent panel had been set up to investigate the authenticity of the video recording. Protesters chanted "We want justice" as they marched while holding placards stating "Judiciary has gone to the dogs" and "Judiciary has gone to the drain". Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan said of the inquiry: "It can only be the first step. They can't force the presentation of witnesses or documents."
She described the heavy security, which included anti-riot police and a police helicopter, as "an act of intimidation"
ABOVE: Sack the CJ?; BELOW: In defense of a Mufti's Son who became CJ
In defense of “a Mufti's son .. risen to CJ”“The prominent Malay Islamic and nationalist hero, for his firm stance to address the Lina Joy case (at least he and his panel settled it), for staying neutral (hence apearing pro-royal) in the Kings vs PM issue on judge appointments and recently for declaring a desire to move away from British common law as a basis of our jurisprudence, the most patriotically significant act on our 50th year of Merdeka!”
And the Video scandal - “There is no visual, nor even verbal proof of the CJ being in the video” –
Extract of comments from a supporter found at Screenshots, H E R E
ABOVE & BELOW: The palace of justice when the March began to the PM Office some 4 km away
= == == = == == == = == == = == = =
ABOVE & BELOW: Any protest, demo or March would not be complete without the presense of the FRU (Federal Reserve Unit)
Walk for Justice=== = == == = == = == = == = == = ==
ABOVE & BELOW: In Myanmar, it is the Walk for Freedom & Democracy
= == = == = == = == = == = == = == = == = =
ACA Yet To Probe Video Clip On Judges' Appointment
= == == = == ==
The march tomorrow goes on as planned
Ambiga SreenevasanKUALA LUMPUR, Tues: The Bar Council Chairman, Ambiga Sreenevasan reiterated today the march for justice will go on as planned tomorrow notwithstanding the report that the government has set up an independent panel to determine the authenticity of the video recording. "This falls short of the Bar's call for an investigation by a Royal Commission not only of the recording but of larger issues affecting the state of the administration of justice in Malaysia", said Ambiga. In an immediate response to the composition of the panel, namely Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye and Datuk Mahadev Shankar, one senior lawyer said the three personalities are not acceptable.
"Haidar was involved in the 1988 Judicial Crisis. Lee has no legal training. Shankar served under Tun Eusoff Chin, and also in the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the black-eye incident involving the former Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim which only implicated the then Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Rahim Noor, but took no action against police officers who were present at the time the former IGP Ramli assaulted Anwar," he said. Meanwhile, the walk tomorrow is a peaceful initiative and everything humanly possible is being done to ensure this. We call on all members to join us in the walk in solidarity, and to send a serious message that improvements to the judicial system have been long overdue including the establishment of an independent appointments and promotion commission.
= == = = =
Bar Council Welcomes Independent Panel To Probe Video Clip
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Bar Tuesday welcomed the move by the government to set up an independent panel to investigate the authenticity of a video clip featuring a lawyer allegedly brokering the appointment of judges with somebody over the phone. "The Malaysian Bar sees the appointment of the panel as a first step and a positive move, responsive to public opinion," its president Ambiga Sreenevasan said in a statement here. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the formation of the panel to be headed by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, with former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar and prominent social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye as members, earlier today. Ambiga hoped that the remit of the panel would extend beyond merely probing the authenticity of the video clip "although it is recognised that this is an essential first step".The Malaysian Bar was ready to cooperate with the panel in the move to uncover the truth, she said. Despite the establishment of the panel, the Bar still wanted the government to set up a royal commission of inquiry with wider terms of reference that should include looking into the present state of the judiciary and the need for a judicial appointments commission, she said.
In KOTA KINABALU, the Sabah Law Association (SLA) and the Advocates Association of Sarawak (AAS) have also welcomed the move to set up the independent panel. In a joint statement,
Reactions –Formation Independent Panel
Alleged fixing of judges: Royal Commission, not a three-man independent panel
- PAS Youth
Bar Council to march in Putrajaya tomorrow
On the planned marched by the Bar Council tomorrow in Putrajaya to press Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi to agree to a Royal Commission, Salahudin said PAS youth would not be participating. "It’s up to the lawyers to march in their own capacity," he said. The three-man panel announced by Najib today would be headed by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar and prominent social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye as members. The appointment of lawyer Tan Sri Zaki Tun Azmi as the new Federal Court judge earlier this month sparked protests by the oppositions following his close links to the ruling party. Several more senior judges in High Court and the Appellate Court, considered to be more qualified to be appointed were sidelined in the process.
The appointment was also said to have caused a friction between the executive and the Conference of Rulers. Appointed panel insufficient - Appoint Royal Commission immediately.
In a related development PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said a panel appointed by the cabinet could not be expected to do a proper, free and independent investigation into the video clip that implicates a very senior judge as well a member of Cabinet. How can a video that implicates members of the cabinet be investigated by a panel appointed by and reporting to that same cabinet?" she asked. "A cabinet-appointed panel with no actual legal power to do investigation lacks the ability to properly investigate the scandals exposed by the video or the video itself," she said in a statement released today.
She said only a Royal Commission appointed by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong under the Commissions of Enquiry Act, 1950 and reporting directly to His Majesty would have the power to summon witnesses, compel attendance and provide immunity to witnesses for an effective investigation. "This is the only way we can expect an investigation to be done effectively, independently, and without fear or favour," she said. She said "nothing less will do", given the gravity of this video and how deeply the scandalous implications run. She said a Royal Commission was appropriately appointed to investigate the "nude-squat" scandal that cast aspersions on the police force. "Surely the same must be done to investigate a scandal that rocks the Malaysian judiciary to its very core," she said. She said a cabinet-appointed panel with no legal authority is a painfully inadequate response to the rot this video reveals; a Royal Commission is what is required and it must be set up immediately. –ES
== == = = == == == = Background
Najib: 3-Member Independent Panel Headed Former CJ Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor - probe authenticity video clip; other members Tan Sri Lee am Thye & Datuk Mahadev Shanker
Govt sets up panel to probe damning video clip featuring senior lawyer
Mahadev: Govt had acted wisely
PUTRAJAYA (Sept 25, 2007): Acting quickly to prevent an erosion of faith in the country’s judiciary, the government today appointed a three-man panel to determine the authenticity of a five-year-old video recording of a telephone conversation between a senior lawyer and a "Datuk", believed to a senior judge, over the appointment of judges to the country’s highest courts. The Special Independent Investigation Panel will be headed by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, with former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar and National Service Council chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye as members.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (ABOVE) told a press conference: "There will be a full inquiry. The government will analyse the evidence and make a decision. The report and the findings will be (made) public."
The video recording lasting eight minutes and 26 seconds was unveiled to the press by Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last Wednesday (Sept 19). The original recording is 14 minutes and 16 seconds long but was edited to protect the identity of the source. The recording is of a lawyer on the phone with a Datuk, who, from the nature of the conversation, appears to be a senior judge. In the conversation, the lawyer spoke about how he was helping the judge to move up to the top judiciary posts with the help of a prominent businessman and a politician. Najib said after discussions with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, it was decided to set up the panel whose term of reference is to investigate the authenticity of the recording.
"The decision was made following allegations and speculation that arose from the release of the video recording, which could create suspicion on the credibility and integrity of the country’s judiciary," he said. In an immediate reaction, the Bar Council welcomed the move as an essential first step, but hoped that the remit of the panel will extend beyond merely probing the authenticity of the video. "It is also essential that there is no issue of any conflict of interest with regard to any member of the panel," said Council president Ambiaga Sreenevasan, whose members will stage a march in Putrajaya tomorrow to hand a memorandum to the prime minister in his office. She said the Bar continues to call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry with wider terms of reference to include looking into the present state of the Judiciary as a whole and the need for a Judicial Appointments Commission. Najib said the panel will be starting its work soonest and should complete its work in "a matter of weeks", after which it will submit a report of its findings to the government. He said all relevant government agencies will cooperate with the panel, including the police and the Anti-Corruption Agency which are also independently investigating the matter.
On whether the lawyer featured in the recording and Anwar will be called to testify, Najib said the panel will do whatever is necessary. "I don’t have to spell out details. Let the panel do its work." He said the panel members have accepted their appointment, and that he will be meeting them, together with Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan.
Najib was unsure if a secretariat is necessary as the government will provide all the logistics and requirements. Asked a hypothetical question whether the panel could be changed if there was a protest, Najib said the panel members "are people with impeccable integrity." On whether the setting up of the panel is a precursor to the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry as called for by various quarters, Najib said the government has no immediate intention to do so as the panel was sufficient. Asked about the Bar Council’s plan to organise a march in Putrajaya to hand over a memorandum on issues regarding the judiciary to the government tomorrow, he said it was up to them. Transparency International (TI)
Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang said the setting of the panel is unsatisfactory and unacceptable and reiterated the need to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to fully investigate the incident to restore public confidence in the system of justice. He said by restricting the panel to the question of authenticity of the video recording, the government is avoiding the issue of the erosion in the judiciary and the need to restore confidence in the system of justice. He also questioned the selection of members of the panel, charging that Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor had played a controversial role in the 1988 judicial crisis when he was then Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court.
Mahadev: Govt had acted wisely
PETALING JAYA (Sept 25, 2007): Former court of appeal judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar said the government had acted wisely in appointing a Special Independent Investigation Panel, of which he is a member, to probe the authenticity of a video clip featuring a lawyer allegedly brokering the appointment of judges with a senior judge. He said the formation of the panel was carried out swiftly in efforts to allay the public’s outcry for positive action by the administration. "It only remains for all concerned to let the panel get on with the terms of reference entrusted to it," he said in an email when asked to comment on his appointment to the panel announced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak yesterday.
"At this early stage, all I can say is that having worked with Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye in Suhakam and with Tan Sri Haidar (Mohamed Noor) for many years in the judiciary, I feel we will make a good team." Haidar, a former chief judge of
THE PROBE PANEL:
Chairman Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor
* former state legal adviser in
Member Datuk Mahadev Shankar
* former court of appeal judge
* Served for two years as a memer of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam)
* Currently a legal consultant in Zaid Ibrahim and Co, a law firm in
Member Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye
* National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) chairman
* National Service Training Council chairman
* Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairman
* former Democratic Action Party (DAP) leader and member of parliament who retired from politics in 1990
PUTRAJAYA (Sept 25, 2007): Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak announced here today that a three-man independent panel has been set up to probe the video recording featuring a senior lawyer discussing judiciary appointments over the phone. The senior lawyer allegedly was discussing such appointments with a senior judge. Najib said the panel, chaired by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, is to investigate the authenticity of the video clip. The other panel members are former Court of Appeal judge Mahadev Shankar and former DAP MP (now social worker ) Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in a statement issued today, urged all organisations and ordinary Malaysians to join in and support the "March For Justice" organised by the Malaysian Bar Council from the Palace Of Justice in Putrajaya tomorrow at 11am to the Prime Minister’s Office. The Coucil is to hand over a memorandum calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the judiciary to the Prime Minister Lim said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz is insulting the intelligence of all Malaysians by labelling this march as behaving like the opposition and questioned why they did not seek an appointment with the Prime Minister. "How can marching be equated with the opposition when the ruling parties themselves have marched on a variety of issues? There is great urgency in taking immediate action or else the issue will fizzle out and be forgotten. That is why waiting for an appointment with the Prime Minister will take too long a time and fall into trap set by irresponsible parties who want to see the issue die a natural death and disappear.
"Whilst Nazri’s comments that the lawyers can march peacefully is welcomed, he is wrong to say that their stature will suffer by marching. Instead, the stature of lawyers and all participants will only be enhanced that lawyers are not only obsessed with money but are prepared to stand up for justice and judicial independence," he added.
= == == = == == = = == =
PUTRAJAYA, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- The Government is setting up a three-member independent panel, headed by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, to investigate the authenticity of the video clip featuring a lawyer discussing with a senior judge on judges' appointments, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said in Putrajaya today.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the panel would be headed by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, with former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar and prominent social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye as members. "This decision was made as the allegations and speculations on the video clip can arouse doubts on the credibility and integrity of the country's judicial system," he told a press conference. Najib said the panel would start their duties soon and would prepare a detailed report to the government on the controversial video clip.
"The panel's findings expected to be known in a few weeks will be made public," he said. The eight-minute clip, recorded in 2002, was posted on the Internet last week after an opposition party exposed the video recording.The Deputy Prime Minister said the panel would conduct full-scale investigations to establish the authenticity of the video recording. Asked whether the people implicated in the video would be called up by the panel, he said the panel would do whatever necessary. To a question, Najib said the Government had no intention to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the matter. The Government felt it was sufficient to set up the panel, he said.
Watch Video Clip 2min+ interview with Panel Chairman, Tan Sri Haidar
= == = == = == = == = = == =
=
== == = == = == = = == == = == = == = == = = == =Preview of Next Post Coming
NORE PICS & Video – Interview - Haidar Mohd Noor- Scope Not defined Yet; Nazri: No Judiciary Crisis – Opposition perception Only
UPDATE:2 :53am 27 Sep 2007, video clip LOADED
(an Interview with Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor - included in above Video Clip).
& Bar Council President. in ABOVE Video Clip - 2min
= == = == = == = == = = == = =
Haidar: I’m aware many think it’s V.K. Lingam
PETALING JAYA: Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor (pix), who chairs the Special Independent Investigation Panel to determine the authenticity of a controversial video recording, said yesterday he is aware of public opinion that the lawyer featured in the eight-minute video clip is Datuk V.K. Lingam. Admitting that he had seen the video recording, the former chief judge of
Judiciary Not Facing Crisis, Says Nazri
PUTRAJAYA, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- There is no crisis in the judiciary, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamad Nazri Abdul Aziz said today. Speaking to the media after breaking fast with staff of the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department here today, Nazri said allegations that there was a crisis in the judiciary were the work of opposition parties who wanted to influence citizens not to have confidence in the judiciary. He said this when questioned about the march by Bar Council members to the Prime Minister's office this morning to submit two memorandums, one calling for the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate a video clip showing a senior lawyer purportedly brokering appointment of judges and the other for the establishment of an independent judicial commission to appoint judges.
"They should go and check the facts first, verify the clip first. At the moment we do not know whether the tape is authentic. So we cannot jump to conclusion and lawyers are the people that should not jump to conclusions in the first place," he said. He added that the government had formed a three-man independent panel headed by retired Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor with former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar and social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye as the other members to conduct an impartial probe into the controversial video clip.
They will receive their appointment letters from Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak tomorrow.= == = == = =
Nazri Aziz©MYsinchew.com
PETALING JAYA,
posted by multidimid at 2:18 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home