PUTRAJAYA, July 27 – Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi shied away today from explaining why the Court of Appeal here has yet to set a hearing date for the controversial “Allah” court case half a year after it was filed.
“I will not comment on individual cases,” the 64-year-old told reporters after trumpeting the speedier disposal of lawsuits seen in the last two years since he was made the country’s top judge.
He also suggested that the parties dissatisfied with the wait could to write in to the President of the Court of Appeal, Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff, to do something to fast-track the case.
The Home Ministry had early this year filed an appeal against a High Court ruling allowing the Catholic Church to public the word “Allah” to also refer to God outside the Muslim context, claiming its use would confuse the majority of its believers here who view the word as limited to Islam.
But the Catholic Church, which had initially agreed to stay publishing the word after a series of attacks broke out nationwide following the ruling on New Year’s Eve last year, has grown anxious at the extraordinary delay.
Earlier, Zaki briefed foreign law practitioners in town on the various measures he had introduced to enhance the Malaysian court system, including appointing more judges and judicial commissioners, and setting up a digital system to track the status of court cases.
The CJ boasted that his initiatives had helped bring “justice” by ensuring cases were closed in less than a year. In the past, a case could be languishing in the courts for as long as 15 years, he pointed out.
“Every time a case is delayed, it’s to the disadvantage of both parties,” Zaki stressed.
“I will not comment on individual cases,” the 64-year-old told reporters after trumpeting the speedier disposal of lawsuits seen in the last two years since he was made the country’s top judge.
He also suggested that the parties dissatisfied with the wait could to write in to the President of the Court of Appeal, Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff, to do something to fast-track the case.
The Home Ministry had early this year filed an appeal against a High Court ruling allowing the Catholic Church to public the word “Allah” to also refer to God outside the Muslim context, claiming its use would confuse the majority of its believers here who view the word as limited to Islam.
But the Catholic Church, which had initially agreed to stay publishing the word after a series of attacks broke out nationwide following the ruling on New Year’s Eve last year, has grown anxious at the extraordinary delay.
Earlier, Zaki briefed foreign law practitioners in town on the various measures he had introduced to enhance the Malaysian court system, including appointing more judges and judicial commissioners, and setting up a digital system to track the status of court cases.
The CJ boasted that his initiatives had helped bring “justice” by ensuring cases were closed in less than a year. In the past, a case could be languishing in the courts for as long as 15 years, he pointed out.
“Every time a case is delayed, it’s to the disadvantage of both parties,” Zaki stressed.
No comments:
Post a Comment