Latest news with #ShahrirSamad
Free Malaysia Today
15 hours ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Umno ministers outperforming those from PKR and DAP, says Shahrir
Former Johor Bahru MP Shahrir Samad said PKR leaders have 'no real experience' in governing the country. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : An Umno veteran claims that ministers from his party are doing better than their fellow Cabinet members from DAP and PKR. Shahrir Samad, who had held several Cabinet posts, said it cannot be denied that Umno leaders serving as ministers in the Anwar Ibrahim-led unity government are performing better and more effectively compared with those from DAP and PKR, Utusan Malaysia reported. 'This is because Umno leaders are trained and shaped through a grassroots leadership development process, rising through the ranks over time,' he was quoted as saying in an interview with the daily. In contrast, he said, many leaders from PKR and DAP lack such experience. He cited how DAP leaders may have been in politics for a longer period and were expected to be more seasoned, but still fell short. Giving Lim Guan Eng as an example, Shahrir said the former DAP chairman did not always 'reflect maturity or wisdom in leadership' both as finance minister and Penang chief minister. 'PKR leaders, in particular, have no real governing experience. So, when they are appointed ministers, the country ends up in disarray,' he said. 'We even have situations where (their) ministers want to resign but first take leave, as if a political post was a corporate job that requires a three-month notice period. This shows a fundamental misunderstanding of political office. 'If you intend to resign, just resign. There's no need to take leave,' he said, claiming that the prime minister's decision to find a replacement or reshuffle the Cabinet was stalled because of such ministers taking leave. PKR's Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli resigned as the economy minister after he lost the party deputy presidency to Nurul Izzah Anwar last month. Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, the Setiawangsa MP, also let go of his natural resources and environmental sustainability portfolio after he failed to defend his PKR vice-presidency. Both submitted their resignation letters on May 28 and went on leave – with Rafizi's leave ending on June 16, and Nik Nazmi's on July 3. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had expressed hope that the duo would reconsider their resignations, but both remained steadfast in their decisions.
Free Malaysia Today
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Court reserves judgment in Tommy Thomas's appeal to recuse judge
Former attorney-general Tommy Thomas's lawyer argued that High Court judge Roz Mawar Rozain was biased and had shown prejudgment when she dismissed his client's application to strike out the suit. PUTRAJAYA : The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment in former attorney-general Tommy Thomas's appeal to disqualify a High Court judge from hearing a malicious prosecution lawsuit filed by former minister Shahrir Samad. The three-member bench, led by Justice Supang Lian and comprising Justices Faizah Jamaludin and Ahmad Fairuz Zainol Abidin, said it would consider both written and oral submissions. A case management has been scheduled for June 12 to fix a date for the decision. Thomas's lawyer Alan Adrian Gomez argued that High Court judge Roz Mawar Rozain was biased and had shown prejudgment when she dismissed his client's application to strike out the suit. He claimed the judge relied on Thomas's memoir, My Story: Justice in the Wilderness, to suggest that Thomas had pressured the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate Shahrir. 'Thomas will not be accorded a fair trial as there is a breach of natural justice,' he added. 'Thomas only asked MACC investigators to complete the probe expeditiously,' Gomez said, adding that while Thomas approved Shahrir's prosecution, it was his successor, Idrus Harun, who decided to proceed with the trial. Gomez also took issue with the judge's remark in her judgment that Thomas, before becoming attorney-general in June 2018, had helped topple the Barisan Nasional government. 'BN was voted out in the 14th general election,' he said. In response, Shahrir's lawyer Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin argued that the recusal bid was baseless and made only after the strike-out application failed. He said a judge cannot be disqualified simply for making adverse rulings and noted that judges routinely dismiss strike-out applications but still go on to hear the full case if the plaintiff had an arguable case. He said the judge, in this case, wanted the trial to proceed as there was a prima facie case for malicious prosecution. 'The trial should proceed so that the truth can be tested through cross-examination,' Firoz said. He also highlighted that an MACC officer testified in Shahrir's money laundering trial that the investigation was incomplete when charges were filed. On Jan 5, 2023, High Court judge Jamil Hussin acquitted Shahrir of failing to declare RM1 million received from former prime minister Najib Razak to the tax authorities after the prosecution decided not to continue the case. Thomas filed the recusal application on Aug 26, 2023, alleging that Roz Mawar made baseless findings inconsistent with the lawsuit and evidence. Shahrir opposed the application, arguing that dissatisfaction with a ruling was not grounds for recusal. On July 3 last year, the judge dismissed Thomas's attempt to strike out the lawsuit. Shahrir, a former Johor Bahru MP, filed the suit in December 2022, naming Thomas, former MACC chief Latheefa Koya, MACC and the government as defendants. The suit centres on a RM1 million cheque from Najib, said to be intended for housing project restoration in Larkin, Johor. Thomas, who was attorney-general from June 2018 to February 2020, denies any abuse of power and says prosecution decisions were made only after reviewing investigation papers from relevant agencies. He resigned in February 2020, while Shahrir's trial began in July 2022.
