Syariah judicial appointments commission proposal to strengthen Syariah Judiciary – Mohd Na’im

KUALA LUMPUR: The government’s proposal to establish a Syariah Judicial Appointments Commission aims to strengthen the Syariah Courts and ensure that the appointment of judges is conducted transparently and independently from the Executive.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said the establishment of this commission is in line with efforts to upgrade the status of Syariah judges through the Syariah Judges’ Remuneration Act.

“We have a Judicial Commission overseeing the appointment of High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court judges.

“However, for Syariah Court judges, there is currently no commission akin to the one that oversees civil judicial appointments. Instead, their appointments are handled similarly to those of civil servants, engineers, doctors and other officials under the Public Service Commission.

“Fundamentally, the proposal to establish a Syariah Judicial Commission is to ensure that these judges can make decisions without interference from the Executive,” he said when appearing on Bernama TV’s ‘Ruang Bicara’ programme tonight.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, during the launch of the Convention to Uphold Malaysia’s Syariah Judiciary and Legislation in Putrajaya on July 15 said that the government will expedite the implementation of the Syariah Judges’ Remuneration Act to elevate the status of Syariah Court judges in the country.

This initiative reflects the government’s attention to balancing the Syariah Judicial Service Scheme with the Civil Judicial Service Scheme.

Mohd Na’im said the proposal for a Syariah Judicial Appointments Commission is among the recommendations and resolutions presented at the convention.

He also noted that a key challenge in empowering the Syariah Courts is ensuring they do not conflict with the Federal Constitution, which is the country’s supreme law.

In this regard, Mohd Na’im said the government will continue to engage with stakeholders to provide clarity and understanding to the public regarding Syariah Court provisions and laws.