Liew (centre) in a group photo with Sharifah Hasidah (fourth left), Wong (fourth right), Dr Yii (second left), Ling (third left) and others.
KUCHING: The federal government is expected to table a bill to increase the retirement age of judges in the country to 70 years old in the next Parliament sitting, which starts on Oct 15.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong said the proposal would require amending Article 125 of the Federal Constitution, which needs two-thirds majority in Parliament.
“The proposed amendment to Article 125 of the Federal Constitution will be tabled in the next session of Parliament, together with amendment to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution,” he said during a dinner with members of parliament and elected state representatives from DAP and GPS as well as members of Advocates Association of Sarawak (AAS) here on Monday.
The proposed amendment of Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution seeks to restore the status of Sarawak and Sabah to the position before the amendment was made in 1976.
Liew, who is minister in-charge of law, said the proposed amendment to raise the retirement age of judges takes into account that the Institutional Reforms Committee (IRC) has made several recommendations to reform institutions in the country, including the judiciary.
It includes the proposal to set up a new Judicial Appointments Commission whereby the government has decided to follow the recommendation and appoint four new members of the Commission with the appointments of three former Court of Appeal judges and a constitutional law expert.
“I strongly believe that the reform in the judiciary shall include the change of retirement age of the judges as well. In other countries such as Australia and United Kingdom, the judges retire at 70, and in fact there is a proposal in Australia that judges shall retire at 80 provided they pass a medical inspection.
“Recently, the Supreme Court Judge of India, Justice Kurian Joseph also urged the Indian government to raise the retirement age of judges to 70. As we can see, this is a global issue which shall be taken into great consideration by the government,” he said.
He thus called on all MPs from both the government and opposition, particularly those from East Malaysian states to give their support to the amendment of the provisions when the Bills are tabled in the coming Parliamentary sitting.
“I cannot deny the importance of support from all Sabah and Sarawak MPs in amending these provisions in Parliament. It requires a strong political will, and we must put aside our political differences for the future of our next generation.
“It is my hope that all Malaysians remain united in amending Article 1(2), and rectify the injustices suffered by Sabah and Sarawak for the past three decades as well as Article 125 of the Federal Constitution. Let’s all be part of this history, and together we shall strive for a new hope and better Malaysia.”
Assistant Minister of Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Datuk Seri Panglima David Wong Dak Wah, Petra Jaya MP Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii, Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong, Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei and Senator Alan Ling Sie Kiong were also present at the dinner.