Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat has slammed those making unfair statements about a judgment without first having full understanding of the court’s decision.
Tengku Maimun said comments made without understanding the judgment were based solely on sentiment and not on an understanding of the law.
“It is not fair to be making statements on things you don’t understand, that would bring chaos to anything.
“You don’t have the basic knowledge, you don’t have the full understanding, yet you’re making statements about it. That’s not right,” the Star quoted her as saying at the 2nd National Litigation Conference 2022 at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) in Kuala Lumpur.
She was asked to respond to statements by politicians attacking the judiciary after a Federal Court five-member bench she led had affirmed former prime minister Najib Razak’s 12-year-jail sentence in his SRC International final appeal hearing.
Tengku Maimun advised people against jumping to conclusions without first understanding the judgment or consulting those who were more knowledgeable about the application of the law.
“My personal opinion is that the comments show their lack of understanding because they don’t read the judgment.
“If they don’t read, they don’t understand, if they don’t understand, they will make comments that are inappropriate and irrelevant to the issue,” she said.
Tengku Maimun also expressed her gratitude to the Malaysian Bar which issued press statements rebuking the attacks by the politicians.
“I’m very grateful because the Malaysian Bar has explained the real positions as to why the cases were decided that way and also why politicians should not jump to conclusions.
“I’m very grateful for the support,” she said.
Tengku Maimun also advised the public to understand the court’s decision by reading the judgment, adding that if they still failed to understand, they could consult those who were more knowledgeable about the matter.
“You ask the right people. Don’t simply jump to conclusions without fully understanding.
“That’s the basic thing, isn’t it? If you don’t understand, you ask.” – FMT