Judiciary crisis not my doing, says Dr M

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is denying any involvement with the judiciary crisis in 1988. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, June 13, 2015.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said the judiciary crisis in 1988 was not his doing and instead blamed the then Yang di Pertuan Agong, the late Sultan Mahmud Iskandar.

Dr Mahathir said it was the monarch who had a run-in with former Lord President Tun Salleh Abbas, which eventually caused Salleh to be removed from his position through a tribunal.

"The problem was the attorney-general did not want to put the sultan's name, so I was made to become the chief complainant," Dr Mahathir said today, in a detailed revisit of the crisis that was said to have changed the independence of judiciary in the country.

"I had nothing to do with it. The fact remains that I never interfered with the judiciary," he said.

He, however, said that he would be unable to shake off the "label" that he had interfered in the judiciary until he dies.

"I cannot get rid of this label," Dr Mahathir said.

He said that the run-in with the Agong happened after Salleh complained about noise being made during renovation work at the King's private residence, and forwarded the complaint to all Sultans.

"That was not proper, and the Agong told me that he wanted to dismiss Salleh. But the cabinet told me the most that could be done was to set up a tribunal," he said.

He said that he did not interact with any of the judges except for the Lord President.

"Nothing I say, however, will convince people that I was not involved in this," he said.

- TMI