Election petitions should be disposed within 6 months of filing

(Bernama) — Election petitions by candidates in the 13th general election must be disposed within six months of filing. Chief Justice of Malaysia Tun Ariffin Zakaria said this would ensure the petitioners received a fair hearing of their case.

“I hope the judges concerned would hear the cases with an open mind and not bow to pressure from any quarters,” he said while opening the 47th Judges’ Conference here today.

Among the 101 participants present were Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Mohd Raus Shariff, High Court of Malaya chief judge Tan Sri Zulkifli Ahmad Makinuddin and Chief Judge of the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjun.

Ariffin said the six-month period was realistic in view of the likelihood that some of the petitions might be in Sabah, Sarawak and other states in the peninsula.

Meanwhile, he advised judges not to respond to any comment in the internet expressing dissatisfaction with any ruling or judgement as every decision made was final.

“Even though the comments might be negative and aimed at tarnishing the image of the judiciary, we (judges) do not need to entertain them as they might not have understood the facts of the case,” he said.

He also reminded judges to make their decisions based on the proceedings and testimonies to protect the interest of the public.

“This matter must be given attention as there had been a trend in the past where judges try to expand their human rights scope in their decision,” he said, adding that such action would paint an inaccurate picture of the country’s judiciary which upheld justice.