KOTA KINABALU: The courts must remain free to adjudicate impartially, even in cases involving high constitutional stakes, says the Sabah Law Society (SLS).
Its president Mohamed Nazim Maduarin said judicial independence was a collective responsibility and all the legal actions it has taken were shaped by this commitment.
He reaffirmed SLS’ commitment to advocating for Sabah’s rights while supporting national efforts to uphold the judiciary’s integrity.
“For SLS, judicial independence is not just a principle, it is a belief we put into action.
“When we filed the judicial review concerning Sabah’s 40% revenue entitlement, it was not just about constitutional rights. It was also a statement of trust in the independence of Malaysia’s judiciary,” he said.
According to Mohamed Nazim, the judicial review application itself was a “gauge of judicial independence, an affirmation that justice can be sought and won, free from interference.”
In 2022, SLS filed the judicial review application to overturn the Federal Government’s gazette of a RM125.6mil annual grant for Sabah that year, claiming that it violated the state’s revenue rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) to have 40% returned.
In the same statement, the SLS also commended the Bar Council’s firm stance in defending judicial independence, as reflected in two amended resolutions passed unanimously during the Bar’s 79th Annual General Meeting on Saturday.
At the AGM held at Wisma MCA, all 42 Bar Council members supported the revised resolutions.
