Judges should no longer be persecuted for carrying out their jobs, said de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim.

"I dare say it is my hope we shall never again see judges punished and thrown into ignominy and shame for just doing their rightful job," he stated in his short speech at a dinner jointly organised by the government and the Malaysian Bar in Kuala Lumpur last night.

bar council judiciary dinner 170408 zaid ibrahim speech Zaid, who ran the country’s biggest law firm prior to his appointment as minister last month, said there is a need to rebuild trust in the integrity and competency of the judiciary.

"At the same time, we need to remind ourselves that justice is not a cloistered virtue. It must be allowed to suffer the scrutiny of reasonable men. It follows that judges too must be prepared to be judged and to be subject of scrutiny."

"If we can do this, the pain and suffering of Salleh Abas, Wan Suleiman Pawanteh, George Seah, Eusoffe Abdoolcader, Wan Hamzah Mohd Salleh and Mohd Azmi Kamaruddin, will not have been in vain," he said to an applause from the 600-odd crowd.

The minister was referring to the six top judges - three sacked and three removed - during the 1988 judicial crisis, which many have seen as the starting point of the decline of public confidence in the judiciary.

Zaid to Salleh: 'We love you'

Zaid has proposed to the government to tender an apology to the six judges but this was shot down.

Instead, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced a ‘goodwill ex gratia payment’ for the judges last night as a way to recognise the pain and loss they have endured.

On this, Zaid said in his speech: "I must tell you that when I was young, the movie that moved me the most was ‘Love Story’. It was the first time I heard the expression that ‘love means never having to say you’re sorry’."

"But we love you Tun (Salleh), and make amends we will," he added.

Speaking to reporters later, Zaid - when asked on his previous stand - responded: "I am satisfied with the prime minister’s statement. You can say sorry in many ways."

On the proposed judicial appointments commission, he said the details on the composition of the commission will be out soon and he will leave it to the public to judge if the commission is independent.

"We shall wait and see, don’t prejudge the issue," he told reporters.

Abdullah said earlier that the commission will identify and recommend suitable candidates for the judiciary to him. The constitutional prerogative of the prime minister to forward the names to the King will remain.

Bar president: 'Absolutely delighted'

Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan who was met by the reporters at the sidelines of the dinner also welcomed the setting up of the commission, which has been demanded by the legal professional body for long.

"I am absolutely delighted," she said, adding that it was a "wonderful first step forward."

Ambiga also said she was delighted over the government’s announcement for the ex gratia payment to the six former judges and echoed Zaid’s stand that expressed apology is not necessary.

She said it was more important that the government gave due recognisation on what transpired during the 1988 judicial crisis.

"There is no more pretending about the 1988 judicial crisis, we call a spade a spade now and we can move on," she said.

Earlier in her welcoming address, Ambiga has credited Abdullah for loosening up the tight grip of fundamental liberties and encouraging different opinions.

She expressed hope to see an amendment on the Article 121 (1) of the Federal Constitution to restore the vesting of the judicial power with the courts, which Abdullah however did not touch on in his speech later.

Towards the end of her speech, the Bar Council president also called on Abdullah to review the case of the detainees held under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

"Here we appeal to you, Mr Prime Minister, to please look at their cases again and revisit the decision made. We hope Dato’ Seri will be open to discussing this issue further with us," she urged.

VIDEOS

Ex-lord president Salleh: A moral victory l 3 min

Sivarasa: Other issues on judiciary not addressed l 3 min

Zaid Ibrahim: Sorry can be said in many ways l 2 min

Acknowledgement comes two decades later l 4 min

Pak Lah: The judiciary must be revitalised l 3 min

Government will establish a judicial commission l 2 min