The G25 and legal expert Jerald Joseph call for reforms to protect the judiciary from political influence. The positions of the next president of the Court of Appeal and the president of the Supreme Court are hanging in the balance. Urgent reform of the 2009 Judicial Appointments Commission Act is also called for.
The controversy was triggered by the appointment of Johnny Lim Eng Seng as a three-star officer, the first in the history of the country's armed forces. On social media, a member of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party has launched an attack, fearfully hypothesising a ‘Palestinian scenario’. In the background is the low level of participation of minorities in the army, which is largely made up of ethnic Malays.
Timor-Leste’s president spoke at the Global Leadership & Dialogue Initiative in Kuala Lumpur. In his address, he cited the huge human toll his country paid towards full international recognition. Next October, the country will become the 11th ASEAN member state.
Appellate panel upholds High Court’s earlier ruling rejecting application. The identity law allows for a name change, but not a return to the original name due to public order concerns. The change had caused the man problems with immigration (upon his return to India) and property rights.
The declaration adopted at the ASEAN summit, proposed by current chair Anwar Ibrahim, outlines a series of goals for 2045 aimed at strengthening the role of the regional organisation. A renewed appeal was made to Myanmar to extend the ceasefire and open up space for genuine dialogue. A meeting has been requested with Donald Trump over tariffs. At the same time, trilateral cooperation with China and the Gulf countries is gaining momentum.
The Court of Appeal upheld an earlier decision by the High Court. For the judges, the case is procedural, not about personal faith. The woman was never Muslim since the change in religion results from a unilateral act by her mother when she was a child without the consent of her Hindu father.
