1. The DAP Central Working Committee (CWC) recently held a discussion regarding several matters of national importance.
2. The DAP takes the position that the tenures of the Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and President of the Court of Appeal Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, who are due to retire today and tomorrow respectively, ought to be extended a further six months in accordance with the Federal Constitution as they have carried out their duties impeccably and with utmost integrity.
3. Although such extensions are not as of right, we note the extensions of previous senior judges upon their mandatory retirements and see no reason why the same should not extend to the current Chief Justice and President of the Court of Appeal.
4. It must be stressed that the DAP’s support of the extensions of the said judges is not, in any way, an attempt to politicise the matter but is as a result of a genuine recognition of their contributions to the development and reform of the Judiciary which is one of the key priorities of the Madani government.
5. Given their contributions and performances, we are of the view that extending the tenures of the Chief Justice and President of the Court of Appeal would enhance the government’s commitment to the improvement of the administration of justice and the Judiciary with an emphasis on the recognition of merit as a key consideration in the appointment of judges and the extension of their tenures.
6. We further note that there will be many vacancies left in the Federal Court due to the recent and impending retirements of Federal Court judges which makes it all the more important to retain the current Chief Justice and President of the Court of Appeal in order to ensure a smooth transition of new appointees to the Federal Court in due course.
7. The importance of public confidence in the Judiciary is of paramount importance and we reiterate our position that the extension of the tenures of the said judges would be consistent with the reformist agenda of the Madani government.
Dated 1st of July, 2025.
Central Working Committee (CWC)
Democratic Action Party
