De facto law minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz has fired yet another salvo against the Bar since he got himself embroiled in a war of words with the lawyers over the explosive 'Lingam tape'.

This time he branded the lawyers as "crazy" for taking their dissatisfaction over the state of the judiciary to the government in a march dubbed as the 'Walk for Justice' two weeks ago.

"They're all crazy lawyers - (to) go to the streets to ask the executive to interfere," the minister said in an hour-long interview on the videotape controversy at his office in Parliament on Tuesday.

The minister in the Prime Minister's Department overseeing legal and parliamentary affairs has earlier in the interview also likened the Bar to an opposition political party for organising the 2,000-strong march.

The unprecedented 3.5km march - from the Palace of Justice to the PM's office in Putrajaya - was prompted by the revelation of an eight-minute video clip showing senior lawyer VK Lingam talking on the phone purportedly with Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim.

Ahmad Fairuz, who was then chief judge of Malaya when the clip was said to be recorded in 2002, has since denied his involvement through Nazri, while Lingam has kept mum on the scandal.

It's all a question of semantics

Nazri said his problem with the Bar Council - the professional body representing the country's 13,000 lawyers - was not with its move to submit the memorandum to the government, but the manner in which it was done.

"This is just like when the Umno Youth demonstrated in front of the Myanmar embassy and the ambassador didn't see them - it was only the second or third secretary," said the minister, who is known for not mincing his words.

He contended that he could have organised a meeting between the Bar Council and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, instead of the lawyers marching to the PM's office to hand over the memorandum

In the interview, Nazri repeatedly claimed that the Bar Council was making a personal attack against Ahmad Fairuz in pushing for a probe on the Lingam tape "because they can't get along" with the chief justice.

The minister appeared to flipflop on his stand several times during the interview, including whether the video clip's whistleblower is required to come forward personally and whether a royal commission of inquiry be formed once the clip's authenticity is verified.

Grilled on the limited terms of reference given to the three-man panel set up to probe the case instead of calling a royal commission of inquiry, Nazri said it was all a question of semantics.

"It is just the question of naming the committee - whether you name it as a committee or royal commission, it is the same thing - it is the government giving the power."

He also denied the government was getting its priority wrong for going after the whistleblower of the Lingam tape.

"Don't be mistaken, nobody is going after the whistleblower. We want to get the tape - that's all. That's why I am serious in talking about (that) we must protect the whistleblower," he noted.

Despite Nazri has promised in the interview - which was done a day before the weekly cabinet's meeting - that absolute immunity should be accorded to the whistleblower, the cabinet on Wednesday said it would not do so for now.

Bar's 'insensitive' proposal

On the calls for a judicial commission to appoint and promote judges, Nazri revealed the cabinet has never discussed the proposal although this has been made by the Bar Council previously.

However, he claimed the government could not introduce such changes unless the suggestion came from the judiciary itself.

He pointed out that the views of the Malay rulers must also be taken into account when considering the judicial commission proposal.

"I don't think they are prepared to give up (their say in judicial appointment). It is insensitive for the Bar Council to do this. They should first talk to the rulers because they are questioning the little powers that they (rulers) have," argued Nazri.

Under the Federal Constitution, the appointment of judges are made by the King, who act on the advice of the prime minister, after consulting the Conference of Rulers. The prime minister shall consult the chief justice before making such advice.

Nazri was non-committal when asked whether Abdullah will be meeting with the Bar Council as promised by the prime minister's secretary at the end of the 'Walk for Justice' march.

"It was promised by the (premier's) secretary, not the PM."


Q&A: I can't interfere, I am the executive

SPECIAL REPORT: The Lingam tape


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