AT a time when politics is often defined by cynical calculation and hollow rhetoric, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has done something few leaders dare — he has kept his hands off the judiciary. And for that alone, he deserves not just praise, but national gratitude. His recent remarks at the PKR National Congress were not the usual political platitudes. They were a bold and principled reaffirmation of constitutional values that many before him trampled without shame.

“Sepanjang hampir tiga tahun saya menjadi Perdana Menteri, mana kes yang saya campur?” he asked. It was not a boast. It was a challenge — to his critics, to his party, to the entire political class. It was the voice of a Prime Minister drawing a clear moral line: I will not be like those before me.

This is not a small matter. Malaysia’s judiciary has long been bruised by the scars of executive interference. We remember the sacking of judges, the manufactured charges, the secret calls made to “guide” outcomes. It happened under regimes that ruled through fear, not principle. And now, when the nation is finally led by a man who says “tidak pernah sekalipun saya bicara soal keputusan penghakiman,” some still find fault?

Anwar Ibrahim’s restraint is not cowardice. It is conviction. It is strength wrapped in constitutional fidelity. He does not use the Attorney General as a political weapon. He does not summon judges behind closed doors to secure favorable rulings. Instead, he upholds what others only pretend to — the doctrine of separation of powers.

Let’s be clear. He could have interfered. In fact, if he were like his predecessors, he would have. Cases involving political allies, past foes, sensitive constitutional challenges — they’re all happening on his watch. But he has chosen the harder path: to respect the process, even when the process is painful or uncertain. That is not neutrality — that is integrity.

“Saya sendiri akan pastikan apa jua pelantikan, perlu tunduk kepada keputusan ikut hukum dan perundangan negara termasuklah rujukan kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” he declared. That is leadership grounded in law. That is a Prime Minister who understands that he is not above the Constitution but bound by it.

And yet, he goes further. He doesn’t just protect the judiciary from interference — he wants to empower it. His commitment to the establishment of an Akademi Keadilan reflects a long-term vision: to cultivate a legal culture where judges are not just independent, but intellectually and ethically fortified. This is not someone who fears the judiciary. This is someone who believes in its higher calling.

“Saya sendiri pun rasa mual dengan kepura-puraan ini,” he said, referring to those who once corrupted the system now pretending to defend it. That is the voice of a man who has seen how power is abused, felt how institutions can be weaponised, and chosen to reject that darkness. His critics can sneer, but none of them have faced what he has — decades of political persecution, solitary confinement, and judicial manipulation. If anyone has the right to demand control, it is Anwar. But he refuses.

Because he knows: the moment you bend the law for your side is the moment you give your enemies the right to do the same. Anwar is not preserving judicial independence for himself. He is preserving it for the country — for the rakyat, for future governments, even for those who oppose him.

This is not blind loyalty. It is principled support. It is the recognition that in this one crucial area — respect for the judiciary — Anwar Ibrahim has shown himself to be a statesman in the truest sense. He is not afraid to say: Let the judges judge. Let the Constitution speak. Let the law decide.

And in these turbulent times, that kind of leadership is not just admirable. It is essential.

Let others play politics with the courts. Let others whisper in the ears of judges. But as long as Anwar Ibrahim is Prime Minister, Malaysians can know this: the judiciary is safe from the long hand of executive abuse. That alone is reason enough to stand behind him — without apology, without hesitation, and with unwavering resolve.

*The writer is an advocate and solicitor, and actively involved in legal and constitutional discourse in Malaysia