Close X
Monday, December 16, 2024
ADVT 
International

Indian-Origin Legal Eagle Tommy Thomas, To Be Malaysia's New Attorney General

IANS, 05 Jun, 2018 12:12 PM
    Tommy Thomas, a top ethnic Indian lawyer was on Tuesday appointed Malaysia's new Attorney General by the king, who appealed to Malaysians to not to "create religious or racial conflict" over the decision, amid protests from Islamic groups against his nomination.
     
     
    A palace statement said Sultan Muhammad V has approved terminating the current Attorney General Mohamad Apandi Ali and replacing him with Thomas, the first from the minority community to hold the post in 55 years in the Muslim-majority nation.
     
     
    Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had recently proposed to nominate Thomas, 66, as the Attorney-General, the official Bernama news agency reported.
     
     
    The king called on all Malaysians to accept that the appointment of the Attorney-General should "not create religious or racial conflict as every Malaysian should be fairly treated regardless of race and religion."   
     
             
    The appointment of Thomas as the top legal officer would not affect the special rights and privileges of the Malays and Bumiputeras, as well as the status of Islam as the federal religion, the agency said.
     
     
    The king also expressed his disappointment and worry about "inaccurate and negative" media reports of late which could threaten peace and harmony in the country, it said.
     
     
    Thomas is best known as a constitutional law expert and a civil litigator in court cases in matters as varied as administrative law, banking, finance, corporate and commercial law.
     
     
    He has been a lawyer in Malaysia for 42 years, having been called to the Bar in the United Kingdom in 1975 and called to the Malaysian Bar in 1976, Malaymail.com reported.
     
     
    Kuala Lumpur-born Thomas is also an alumni of Victoria Institution, the University of Manchester and the London School of Economics.
    He had also served the legal community in peninsular Malaysia through the Malaysian Bar's governing body Bar Council, which he was a member of during 1984-1988 and 1993-2001 — including a stint as Bar Council secretary from 1995-1997.
     
     
    The appointment of Thomas has caused division among the Malaysian public as petitions - both objecting and supporting his nomination - have cropped up.
     
     
    Parti Islam Se-Malaysia's information chief on Saturday also protested against the government's pick, saying that the candidate should be an individual "who can protect Islam as the official religion of the country".
     
     
    The Malaysian government had defended its nomination of Thomas, saying that it would be the right signal to send to Malaysians and the rest of the world that the new administration was serious about reforming the country's institutions. 

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Committee Formed To Probe Killing Of Prominent Sikh Leader Charnjit Singh In Pakistan

    Committee Formed To Probe Killing Of Prominent Sikh Leader Charnjit Singh In Pakistan
    Charnjit Singh, 52, a prominent member of the country’s minority Sikh community and an outspoken critic of the Taliban, was shot dead by gunmen riding on a motorcycle yesterday in Scheme Chowk

    Committee Formed To Probe Killing Of Prominent Sikh Leader Charnjit Singh In Pakistan

    India Seeks UK Help In Early Extradition Of Vijay Mallya, Lalit Modi

    India Seeks UK Help In Early Extradition Of Vijay Mallya, Lalit Modi
    During the dialogue, India also raised the visa problems faced by its nationals, including delays in visas to students, the high amount charged for UK visas and lengthy waiting period for tourist visas.

    India Seeks UK Help In Early Extradition Of Vijay Mallya, Lalit Modi

    29-Yr-Old Indian National Asish Penugonda Dies In Fall From Yosemite's Half Dome Trail In US

    29-Yr-Old Indian National Asish Penugonda Dies In Fall From Yosemite's Half Dome Trail In US
    A 29-year-old Indian national fell to his death while ascending Yosemite National Park's famous Half Dome trail, the US National Park Service has said.

    29-Yr-Old Indian National Asish Penugonda Dies In Fall From Yosemite's Half Dome Trail In US

    9-Yr-Old Indian-Origin Girl Sadia Sukhraj Killed In South Africa Botched Car Hijacking

    9-Yr-Old Indian-Origin Girl Sadia Sukhraj Killed In South Africa Botched Car Hijacking
    Sadia Sukhraj, a grade four student from the Indian township of Chatsworth, was leaving her grandparents' house in Shallcross along with her father Shailendra when three armed men accosted their car on Monday, Times Live reported. 

    9-Yr-Old Indian-Origin Girl Sadia Sukhraj Killed In South Africa Botched Car Hijacking

    Popular Sikh Leader CHARNJIT SINGH SHOT DEAD In Pakistan

    Popular Sikh Leader CHARNJIT SINGH SHOT DEAD In Pakistan
    A renowned Sikh religious leader and rights activist was on Tuesday gunned down here in Pakistan's northwestern city, according to a media report.

    Popular Sikh Leader CHARNJIT SINGH SHOT DEAD In Pakistan

    Royal Newlyweds Are Not Booked To Stay At The Fairmont In Jasper: Spokeswoman

    Royal Newlyweds Are Not Booked To Stay At The Fairmont In Jasper: Spokeswoman
    The statement comes after the gossip site TMZ said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were planning to stay at a luxurious six-bedroom cabin in Alberta's tourist hot spot.

    Royal Newlyweds Are Not Booked To Stay At The Fairmont In Jasper: Spokeswoman