Lim Kit Siang:Incessant Barking

Hantu Laut

They have taken the meaning of their roles literally in every sense of the word and opposed for the sake of opposing.More often then not some of them acted like a bunch of spoilt brats making incomprehensible and useless noises that have no constructive contributions to the betterment of society and the nation.They are all noises but no punches.

The rumoured appointment of the next Chief Justice was a case which didn't merit any controversy but yet the oppositions, for the sake of making noises, were critical and condemned the choice of Tan Sri Zaki Azmi just because he was an ex-legal adviser to UMNO.Zaki have yet to be officially appointed to the post.

The most vocal critic is the head honco of DAP, the iriscible and self-opinionated Mr Lim Kit Siang who have never found a drop of goodness in the government since time immemorial.He is also the loudest and noisiest vessel in Parliament.A man who sees evil lurking in every nook and cranny of government.A man drowning in his own false dogmas of morality.

The nomination of names are the prerogative of the Prime Minister who would submit the names to the Agong, who, in consultation with the Conference of Rulers would than give his royal assent to the appointment.The final choice lies with the Agong and Conference of Rulers, not the Prime Minister.

There is nothing illegal or constitutionally wrong in the appointment of the Chief Justice or for that matter of all the judges for all the courts in the country.The vetting and selection process have gone through sufficient filtering and the appointment is in accordance with Article 122B of the Constitution.

From the Prime Minister to the Agong, to the Conference of Rulers and back to the Agong.Isn't that more than sufficient.To question the choice is showing disrespect for the Agong and the Conference of Rulers.

With his usual rhetoric and opposition to anything and everything he has put the cart before the horse and questioned albeit indirectly the competency of the Agong and Conference of Rulers in their decision making.

Below is part of what he wrote in his blog.

"This is not only not so, the Prime Minister has shown utter disregard and contempt for the widespread objections of the legal community and civil society to the appointment of the first Umno Chief Justice in the 51-year history of the nation!

In the circumstances, it is most regrettable and deplorable that Abdullah had stuck to his guns that Zaki be appointed the new Chief Justice, despite being forewarned that it would plunge the country into a new judicial crisis of confidence and a new era of judicial darkness.

Is Zaki capable of providing the necessary judicial leadership to ensure that Malaysia can rise above the past two decades of judicial darkness, plunging from one judicial scandal and crisis of confidence to another, and which reduced the Malaysian judiciary from its previous high international standing into a laughing stock for lack of independence, impartiality and integrity of the judiciary?

Pakatan Rakyat MPs must now decide whether to invoke Article 127 of the Malaysian Constitution which empowers the tabling in Parliament a substantive motion to debate the suitability and the merits/demerits of Zaki as the new Chief Justice provided it has the support of at t least a quarter of the Members of Parliament, i.e. 55 MPs.

If such a substantive motion is presented in Parliament, it would be the first time in Malaysian parliamentary and constitutional history."

The system of appointment of our Chief Justice and judges of the various courts in the country is better than that of the US.In the US the President nominates the name and the Senate approves it.In the UK, the Lord Chancellor similarly was appointed by the monarch upon the advice of the Prime Minister.

Lim Kit Siang talk of invoking Article 127 of the Malaysian Constitution is a disrespect for the Agong and the Malay rulers.His prejudgement that the man is already guilty even before the commission of the crime is I would say most unbecoming of him as a veteran politician.

I believe the the invocation of Article 127 is appropriate and makes more sense to call for substantive motion to discuss the behaviour of an errant Chief Justice or judges who were already on the job and has committed serious breach of judicial duties or some other criminal act.Lim is putting the cart before the horse.

How does he know that Zaki is going to be a bad judge? Who says there is widespread objections from the legal community and civil society? Has Lim done a reliable public opinion polls to claim the truth of his allegations.Why must the government listen to the Bar Council when they have shown partiality and bias against the government?

The government is duly elected by the people and it is absurd and a mockery of the democratic system if it has to consult every lawyers in town or the people, every now and then, before making any decision.What's the point of having elections ?

Obviously, empty vessel makes the loudest noise.