Anwar said he found it puzzling that retirements, whether of civil servants, judges or other officers, had come into question.
“There are procedures for when one reaches their retirement age. One does not automatically get their tenure extended… In this case, I was criticised,” he said in his speech at the Prime Minister’s Department’s monthly assembly.
Anwar said there appeared to be a campaign to pressure the government to either extend or end specific tenures, which he warned could politicise institutions meant to remain independent.
“If you understand the Federal Constitution, you would know the process,” he said.
“There’s a commission, the prime minister, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Then, it (an appointment) is presented for discussion with the Conference of Rulers. So all those steps must be followed.”
Amid talk of lobbying, Anwar said this was precisely why he had deliberately avoided meeting with senior judges apart from the chief justice.
The judiciary is currently facing a series of impending retirements.
Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat retires on July 1. Her expected successor, Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, is due to retire just a day later, while Federal Court judge Nallini Pathmanathan will retire in August. None of them has received an extension.
The legal fraternity, including the Malaysian Bar, has called for the tenure of all three judges to be extended, citing concerns over the possibility of political interference in judicial appointments and promotions.
Anwar also repeated his defence of his non-involvement in two high-profile court decisions: one involving Najib Razak, who received a discharge not amounting to an acquittal in the SRC International case, and the other involving Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who was fully acquitted of corruption charges.
He said public reactions to both cases had been inconsistent and seemed to be politically driven.
Anwar said the judiciary must ultimately be shielded from undue pressure, whether political or otherwise.
“Not according to political tastes, not according to group preferences, and not according to the wishes of lobbyists,” he added.