Tuesday September 16, 2008

My views often at odds with administration, says Zaid

By SHAILA KOSHY

KUALA LUMPUR: Senator Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who submitted his resignation as Minister, did not want to be a liability to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Umno.

He expressed this concern Monday in his letter of resignation, saying his views were often at odds with those of the administration.

Abdullah confirmed in Terengganu last night that he had received the letter, rejected it and told Zaid to take leave from work for two weeks.

In his letter, Zaid expressed his concerns with how some of his more important recommendations had been received in Cabinet and with certain Government actions, the latest being the arrests under the Internal Security Act on Friday.

On Sunday, Zaid called for a press conference in his home state of Kelantan and railed against the use of the ISA against civilians, adding he was willing to resign for his views.

The maverick lawyer and outspoken former Kota Baru MP had not been fielded as a Barisan Nasional candidate in the March general election.

When Abdullah appointed Zaid as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department responsible for judicial and legal reform on March 18, the public took it as a sign the Prime Minister was committed to rebuilding public confidence in a judiciary whose integrity has been seriously questioned since the 1988 judicial crisis.

It was just on Tuesday that the de facto law minister announced he might soon be given his own portfolio as Law Minister with the requisite authority and responsibility to help him effect legal reform.

“In fact, my own position will be reviewed to Minister of Law to give me more authority but that will take time.”

Zaid has had a bumpy six months in achieving his goals, but not from want of passion or trying.

The following were some of his recommendations for reform and their status:

> APOLOGY and restitution for the judges sacked or suspended in the 1988 judicial crisis. There was no apology from the Government but it awarded ex-gratia payments to the judges involved;

> SETTING up a Judicial Appointments Commission. Although it was announced by Abdullah at a public dinner in April, the proposal has been delayed following objections from certain Cabinet members; and

> RESTORATION of Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution relating to civil and syariah jurisdiction to its original wording. It was rejected because of objections from some Cabinet members and the Attorney General’s Chambers, although the Chief Justice said the judiciary was in favour.

After he was sworn in as Senator, Zaid had told reporters he believed Abdullah’s confidence in him “was based on his will to have a transparent judiciary that will not give the people any doubt.”

“The Prime Minister spoke to me and he told me there is a need for justice, a reform of judiciary and to make sure that the rule of law stays. I understood that and I promised him that I will do that.”

In an interview in Sunday Star on April 20, Zaid had emphasised he would not become a “minister who has abandoned his principles.”

On whether he believed he could effect change from within the Cabinet when even the Prime Minister was struggling to change the “third world” mentality in the Government which hampered his plans for greater transparency and accountability, Zaid had replied:

“I believe the Prime Minister wants to bring change and so I believe I will be successful. Change takes time. Minds take time to change. Things are not as bad as they were. We just need more commitment.”

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