Ku Li slams ex-gratia payment to judges

BACHOK: Veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has slammed the recent cabinet decision to award former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas ex-gratia, saying the core issue remained unresolved as the Government “created one wrong in trying to correct another wrong.”
Describing the decision as an unprecedented bad move, Tengku Razaleigh said the Government should have convened a judiciary tribunal to re-hear Salleh’s case again instead of simply awarding an ex-gratia payment.
As such, he also said an apology can be forthcoming but it must wait until the proposed tribunal made its decision.
Under the Federal Constitution, judges are impeached by a special tribunal of judges, appointed by the Government. Such a tribunal found Salleh guilty of misconduct, and he was officially relieved of his position as Lord President in 1988.
According to Tengku Razaleigh, who is now offering to contest Umno's top post, the cabinet’s decision has sparked “another debate out there and is now seen as an attempt to embarrass people more than to right a wrong.”
Although, there is empathy for Salleh, there must be real justification to award the ex-gratia, he said after meeting a fraction of Bachok Umno division members here on Sunday.
He proposed that this would be best addressed by forming a new tribunal to re-hear the case.
In terms of the law, Salleh was removed by that tribunal’s decision and not by individuals or Government, Tengku Razaleigh said.
“Awarding the ex-gratia creates another problem as it would encourage others who may have been dismissed from the Government to also seek retribution in the form of ex-gratia payments,” he argued.

tunku : they (pak lah and gang) just want to get some supports and gain some popularity.the main reason was to tarnish Tun Dr Mahathir personality which has became a threat to the current regime. what ku li said was right, in terms of the law, Salleh was removed by that tribunal’s decision and not by individuals, government or Tun Dr Mahathir and that's a fact.