Salleh Abas says no memory of sacking

In his memoirs, Dr Mahathir claimed Salleh had cost himself the Lord President’s post. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — The man who was at the centre of Malaysia’s biggest law crisis 23 years ago and lost his chief judge post as a result says he no longer remembers how it happened.
 
Tun Salleh Abas was back in the news after retired prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, revealed in an autobiography launched here yesterday that the former Lord President had brought on his own sacking after embarrassing and angering the Yang di-Pertuan Agong then.

In “A Doctor In The House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad” published by MPH Group Publishing, the author said the monarch called for Salleh to be removed for complaining about the noise coming from renovation works at the Agong’s private home.

The Agong at that time was Sultan Mahmud Iskandar Al-Haj ibni Ismail Al-Khalidi of Johor who ruled from 1984 to 1989. The sultan passed away last year.

“I can’t remember. I don’t think so,” Salleh told The Malaysian Insider when contacted for comment on Dr Mahathir’s version of events which led to his sacking.
“It happened so long ago, okay?” the reclusive ex-judge replied when asked to elaborate.

The two Tuns were contemporaries. The Terengganu-born Salleh was Lord President from 1984 to 1988 while Dr Mahathir was in office from 1981 to 2003.

According to Dr Mahathir, the Agong had shown him Salleh’s complaint letter, which had also been sent to the other Malay Rulers.

Dr Mahathir added he does not have a copy of the letter.

He also acknowledged the fact that the Attorney-General did not use it during Salleh’s tribunal hearing, which Dr Mahathir said was only called after the chief judge changed his mind about stepping down.
Salleh, 82 this year, has kept a low profile after dropping out of running for office six years ago due to poor health.

He was Jertih state assemblyman for one term, from 1999 to 2004.
Dr Mahathir, who turns 86 in July, has long been blamed by his detractors for clipping the judiciary’s powers.

His successor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, all but apologised for the ruling Barisan Nasional government’s part in the event, dubbed the “judiciary’s darkest hour”.

Shortly after the 2008 general election, the Abdullah administration agreed to pay cash compensation to Salleh and five Supreme Court judges who were also fired for defending their boss.

While Dr Mahathir wrote his version of events that led to Salleh’s sacking 23 years ago, a detailed account of the sacking was given in “May Day For Justice” written by Salleh and writer K. Das that was published by Magnus Book in 1989.

In an attempt to justify the sacking, a New Zealand Queen’s Counsel, Peter Alderidge Williams, wrote a government-approved account, “Judicial Misconduct”, also in 1990.
K. Das then wrote a rebuttal to this account in “Questionable Conduct”.