KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — The era of the government tampering with judicial independence for politics’ sake is over, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim declared today.

Anwar vowed that such abuse of power and interference in the judicial process, which he claimed happened with cooperation from those in the judiciary, will never happen again.

"In the past, we have seen how this sacrosanct principle has been violated by the powers that be, working hand in glove with the highest judicial office, perverting the course of justice in order to serve nefarious and vile political ends.

"But let me firmly declare that enough is enough,” he said in his speech at the 37th LawAsia Conference here.

He also said that although he had been critical of the judiciary in the past, its independence is paramount to administer justice and to uphold the rule of law without fear or favour.

"We will never allow such abuse and violations ever to happen again,” he added.

He also vowed that the elites will not hold back planned reforms by his administration, nor will pressure groups advocating for the interests of the rich and powerful.

"Rather than merely paying lip service while doing nothing because of the fear of being unpopular, as previous governments had done, we walked the talk to summon firm political courage to do what our moral dictates demand,” he said, citing his government’s decision to end the blanket diesel subsidy.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has touted his administration’s financial reforms to investors, saying he has fixed a problem that the past government has failed to.