==> Pls visit new site at http://malaysia-today.net/ <==

(AP) KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's leader pushed for major legislative reforms to boost judicial transparency and combat corruption Wednesday (10 Dec) in a bid to fulfill his promises of better governance before he retires in less than four months.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi introduced two proposals in Parliament to create an independent panel that would help select senior judges and to give wider powers to the government's anti-graft agency.

The proposed reforms form part of the government's response to severe losses suffered in March general elections that were attributed to public grievances over a host of political, economic and social issues.

"We will see a lot of improvements," Abdullah told reporters. "It will increase the level of confidence in these two institutions" of the judiciary and anti-corruption agency.

Lawmakers will debate the proposals and vote whether to approve them by 18 Dec.

Critics have said the judiciary and government's anti-corruption watchdog are heavily politicized and prone to influence by power-brokers.

Abdullah pledged to set up an independent panel to identify and recommend judges for high-level courts after a prominent lawyer was accused last year of brokering judicial appointments through his political and business connections.

Senior judges are currently chosen and recommended for appointment by the prime minister, though the king formally appoints them. Under the new plan, the prime minister would retain the biggest say, but observers hope an independent body would weed out unwarranted candidates.

Abdullah's other key proposal involves giving the state anti-corruption body more powers such as to choose which cases it wants to investigate.

Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said the reforms would make things "much better than presently ... but fall short of the promise that it will be an all-out war against corruption."

Abdullah recently announced he would hand power to his deputy, Najib Razak, by early April to revive the government's fortunes after the opposition made unprecedented inroads in March, winning five of Malaysia's 13 states and more than one-third of parliamentary seats. (By JULIA ZAPPEI/ AP)

Comments (12)