Salleh Abas’ two letters ‘insulting’ King were basis for his sacking: Dr M

Two letters Tun Salleh Abas wrote to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Iskandar “complaining about noise during some repair work” at the King’s palace near the former Lord President’s house and complaining against the Prime Minister were the basis for his sacking, according to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his blog today.

“This (the letters) alone can be considered as very improper,” Dr Mahathir wrote in his very popular blog www.chedet.com. “A man as senior as he was could have asked to see the Agong and verbally informed him about the noise. But to compound the act of les majesté he sent copies of his letter to the other rulers. This implied that he did not have faith in the Agong and wanted the other Rulers to apply pressure on him.”

Dr Mahathir cited a second letter that Salleh wrote to the King, who at that time was Sultan Iskandar, the Sultan of Johor, that, among others, stated: “All of us (the judges) are disappointed with the various comments and accusations made by the Prime Minister against the judiciary not only outside but inside Parliament.”

Dr Mahathir quoted Salleh as writing in his letter: “The accusations and comments have brought shame to all of us and left us mentally disturbed to the extent of being unable to discharge our functions orderly and properly.”

Copies of the second letter complaining about the behaviour of the Prime Minister were also sent to the other Rulers. Sultan Iskandar was the yang di-Pertuan Agong from 1984 to 1989. Salleh wrote the letters in 1988.

The two letters from Tun Salleh were regarded by the Agong as being “highly improper and insulting particularly the copies sent to the other Rulers”, Dr Mahathir wrote.

“During one of my weekly meetings with the Agong, DYMM expressed his annoyance over the letters and simply requested that I dismiss Tun Salleh Abas from being the Lord President of the Malaysian Courts. He writes in his own handwriting his request on the margin of Tun Salleh’s first letter, regarding the noise made by the work on the Agong’s residence.”

“To the Agong it was a simple matter. He had appointed the Lord President and therefore he was entitled to remove him. I thought it was best for me to inform Cabinet and seek the advice of the Attorney-General.

“I must admit that Tun Salleh’s complaints against me in his letter annoyed me,” Dr Mahathir wrote. “It is true that I had criticised the judges for interpreting the laws passed by Government not in accordance with the intention or objective of the laws. I did suggest that if the laws were interpreted differently from what the Government and the legislators intended, then we would amend the laws. During a cabinet meeting I had in jest quoted Shakespeare’s words, ‘The first thing we do we hang the lawyers.’ Only a nitwit would think that I meant what I said literally. But apparently lawyers and judges took umbrage over what I said and regarded me as their enemy (about to hang them, I suppose).”

Dr Mahathir wrote that he despite public criticisms made against him by Tun Salleh, he did not take any action against the Lord President but only did so after he “insulted the Agong and the Agong requested me to have him removed.”

“Of course some would still say I influenced the Agong. But throughout my 22 years I had never involved the rulers in politics or my personal problems. The records are there for all to see,” he wrote. “I was very concerned over the forcible removal of Tun Salleh. And so I tried to get Tun Salleh to resign on his own so as to avoid a scandal. He agreed at first but he withdrew the following day.

“I then went about getting the Tribunal approved and set up. Naturally I had to consult the Attorney-General and others who were familiar with judges. Once the Tribunal was set up my involvement ended.”

Dr Mahathir wrote that when Tun Salleh and the other judges had their services terminated, they should not be paid their pensions.

“But following appeals by Attorney-General, I agreed that they should be paid their full pensions,” he said. “They therefore did not suffer any financial loss and their pensions were computed from the time they left.”

Dr Mahathir said these were the facts relating to the dismissal of Salleh and accused the former Lord President and his fellow judges of bringing disrepute to the judiciary.

“I write this to record things as they happened,” Dr Mahathir wrote. “I do not expect my detractors to stop saying that I destroyed the judiciary. They are my prosecutors and they are also my judges. To them I will always be the Idi Amin of Malaysia as claimed in Tun Salleh’s book “May Day for Justice”. Sadly many who so readily condemn me were judges.”