The nub of Tun Dr. Mahathir’s response to the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Video Tape scandal – whose finding can be summed up as “He looks like Lingam, he sounds like Lingam, he is Lingam!” – is that the offensive is the best defence.
As shown by the following press report, Mahathir is not putting up any defence that he has done no wrong but the ominous rebuttal that others, including judges were even more guilty than him if what he had done was deemed to be wrong or criminal. And he appeared to be implicating the former judges on the Lingam Video Tape Royal Commission of Inquiry.
As Prime Minister for 22 years, it is both pathetic and tragic Mahathir failed to see that while it is commonplace to lobby for appointments to be Ministers and Deputy Ministers, it is just not acceptable for any lobbying to be done for judicial appointments or promotions.
This is why the Judicial Appointments Commission must be set up immediately, which must affect every new judicial appointment and promotion including that of the next new Chief Justice, with the highest judicial office falling vacant in five months’ time in October.
The Prime Minister’s decisions on the appointment and promotion of judges must be based on the recommendations of the Judicial Appointment Commission.
Sunday Star
May 18, 2008
Dr M: Take me to court
By FARIK ZOLKEPLI and GLADYS TAY
JOHOR BARU: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is prepared to be charged in court so that he can reveal many things about the judiciary.
“By charging me in court, I will have the opportunity to explain many things that the judges did, including lobbying,” Dr Mahathir said.
“I hope the investigation will not end with no case. In that case, I will have no opportunity to explain what had happened.
“I want to tell about the judges who had come to me to lobby. If lobbying is wrong, then these judges should be probed,” he said when commenting on the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry. It held there was evidence that he, lawyer Datuk V.K. Lingam, tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and former chief justices Tun Eusoff Chin and Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim were involved in a conspiracy to manipulate the appointment of judges.
The Cabinet had agreed with the commission’s recommendation that the A-G’s Chambers investigate allegations against the six.
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad Dr Mahathir said he would also suggest for more such commissions, including one to investigate Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should he (Dr Mahathir) get his day in court.
“In England, they investigated (former British Prime Minister Tony) Blair, and he was forced to step down,” he told pressmen after attending a forum and dialogue on the recent general elections organised by Johor Umno grassroots and MYKMU.NET here yesterday.
He explained that many had lobbied to become ministers and deputy ministers but the appointments were based on his own assessment of the candidates.
“If I feel a person should be appointed, then I will appoint him. I will not appoint a person if I don’t feel he is qualified, even if a judge suggested he be appointed,” he said, adding that Lingam could not fix the appointment of judges but only claimed that he could.
“By charging me in court, I will have the opportunity to explain many things that the judges did, including lobbying,” Dr Mahathir said.
Is this veiled blackmail? or since he admits other lobbied too why didn’t he call for a royal commission to investigate judicial misbehaviour.
And please ask him what magic portion he is taking for the amazing recovery of losing memory.
Mahathir has done great damage to the racial unity of Malaysia. It was because of his racially biased policies that Malaysia has become polarized. Racial and religious bigotry is promoted by UMNO. Now Mahathir is defending “ketuanan Melayu” and using his lame son as his proxy. Malaysia has to move away from communal based politics and policies before further irreversible damage is done!
UMNO will ensure that none of the culprits involved in Lingamgate are charged. As usual, they will form a committee to study the commission report, then another committee to study the report of the previous committee, and this goes on ad nauseum. After three months everthing is forgotten.
“By charging me in court, I will have the opportunity to explain many things that the judges did, including lobbying,” Dr Mahathir said.
He’s right! So let’s charge him!
Put him behind bars first.
Then the rest of them will.
I despise such characters. They are world class cheats.
If stealing a few ringgit would land a thief in jail for 18 months, those implicated and found guilty should be put away for at leat 18 years. If you just ask them to pay fine, useless because they had plenty of duit haram.
Oh yes, in view of the fact that TDM has all the bad records of most of the judges and prosecution team, I suggest that investigating officers, prosecuting officers and judges be seconded from countries like Australia, New Zealand or Great Britain. Only then we cold have a fair trial.
Otherwise if ourr local IO question TDM, he would show the former his lousy record, habis la!!!
He’s right! so let’s charge him! undergrad2
He may say I can’t remember any damn thing again.
This fellow was in power for too long. He thinks he still can say anything and get away with it. He allowed himself to be lobbied by scumbags (people with vested interest and people who have nothing to do with judiciary) when making important decisions for the government. Was that not true?
Come on, TDM, you don’t have to worry about AAB now. We the people will decide on him. But for you, we want a RCI on you, yes on you for ALL the misdeeds, collusion, abuse of power, high handedness and privatisation deals that you have committed. I must say most Malaysians are very benign and gentle to let you retire gracefully. So don’t talk big here, and don’t resort to your stupid racism again. You are infamous for this, everybody knows. Striped naked, you are nothing compared with another person on the street.
Dr.M should be brought up on charges but I think this is just an attempt to keep Dr.M in check before the UMNO Gen. assembly like how a certain murder case was delayed to keep another person in check. Its all just a game of chess to them.
All criminals are guilty, and some are more guilty than the others; BUT the most guilty is the one who claims that others are more guilty than him. Dump him in Kamunting and throw away the key!
I quote from Malaysiakini from the report of the Lingam Tape scandal :
“A recommendation by the Lingam tape royal commission of inquiry for Dr Mahathir Mohamad and five others to be investigated over their role in the appointment of judges received a warm welcome from several NGOs today.”
I further quote from a statement of Tun Dr. Mahatir’s from the same source :
‘I want them to charge me in court. Only then will I have the opportunity to expose more conflicts faced by the judges, including those who have implicated me.’
There you have it Dato Sri Zaid Ibrahim; from the horse’s mouth; Tun as much as saying, “if you charge me I will have more of the scandal that implicates those who control the government. Is it about Abdul Bedawi, Is it about Najib, IS IT ABOUT MY NEMESIS DATO ZAINON BINTI MOHD. ALI IS IT ABOUT ALL THOSE SERVING IN THE GOVERNMENT ? What a kettle of stinking fish in the barrel; one crook threatening all the crooks that if you charge me I will spill the beans on all of you.
IF I MAY BE ALLOWED TO SPECULATE, THIS IS WHAT PAKATAN WILL RIDE ON THE CREST OF THE WAVE.
Well, our gallant Minister of Law have it all served on his plate; so far everything he has been excellent, he has revealed the full content of the Royal commission report, but it is what he does with it that is important. I don’t know if this Mahatir fellow is as smart as they make him out to be, but he has except in details, has said as much that he knows what lies below the tip of the iceberg. Will Dato Sri Zaid Ibrahom going to go through with DOING THE RIGHT THING ? Will he go for the jugular so to speak; it means that he will have to charge the “5” named in the report.
It is now Tun Mahatir’s turn to blackmail PM Bedawi to spill the beans. What a holy mess we are in. my, my ! actions speak louder than words.
“The Malays have loosened their grip on political power to the point where non-Malays no longer respect them and their institutions,”
We should use ISA against Dr M for instigating the malays against non-malays.
//….“As Prime Minister for 22 years, it is both pathetic and tragic Mahathir failed to see that while it is commonplace to lobby for appointments to be Ministers and Deputy Ministers, it is just not acceptable for any lobbying to be done for judicial appointments or promotions” …//– YB Kit.
I like to comment a little on the part “pathetic and tragic” used by Kit and why it is so.
For too long the man has a supercilious condescension towards all as lacking his intellect and Machiavellian deviousness. In particular he has a particular disdain for law and constitution because the technicalities thereof have always been the main bulwark against the exercise of a dictatorial will. So how could such a person appreciate the measure of difference between lobbying for appointments to be Ministers and Deputy Ministers and lobbying to be done for judicial appointments or promotions? Concepts like judiciary’s independence, impartiality and freedom from bias and conflicts of interest are alien and everything is fair game to the dictates and imperatives of power, and all are justifiable lobbying in service of power! However such is the circle of life, what goes around comes around and we will reap what we sow….For example he says that Ahmad Badawi destroys the BN/UMNO, what he is in fact saying is the kind of BN/UMNO as a legacy created by himself, and it was he himself that anointed the successor that was expected to preserve his legacy but who in fact dismantles it. How ironic! In the end the impressiveness of being the father of development, of fighting off the hedge fund attackers of our currency is stained by a country and a people left polarized and divided by race and religion, by a political culture infused with corruption, an ethos of mediocrity and false hubris – and in the end in stead of engendering the gratitude of those he led, he engenders ill will and their criticisms. One has only to read the comments in this blog and others to see how this is evident.
And the architect of all these, in the twilight of an eventful life, becomes something like a defeated leader in war, with his peoiple deserting him, still combative but without soldiers, arsenal and ammunition, still scheming and plotting on how to prevail over circumstances but without success, still proud but sad and without peace….
Malaysian History, when it is capable to be objectively written, will link his leadership to the quality of excess that had the ability to accelerate the pace of history and galvanise those whom he led by sheer determination and raw will. Such an eruption of energy, to be sure, can change the nation to either historic greatness or ruins. Had the man a little less complexes and more humility and generosity towards the less endowed intellect of those over whom he ruled – had the man studied a little bit more of law and constitution and their nuances and had the perspective and training of Tunku and Tun Hussein Onn, who knows he could have legitimately lay claim to bringing the nation to historic greatness but alas he studies medicine and to him every problem or obstacle to power in body politic is, after diagnosis, a surgical cut…..
Pak Lembik strikes back at Pak Mamak
http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1207&Itemid=31
This past leader is not a role model for malaysia. why current govt not taking up the challenge thrown in by him. He has also been advocating many ” sensitive issues” in the past yet he was not charged at all either in court or via ISA etc…. why ? why ?
Well perhaps he has worded his text with extreme care and no case can be taken against him. Or no politician or citizen like to file a police report against him. I have lately seen many police reports been filed against others who make some statement. Perhaps lawyers or politician who know how to handle this game should volunteer themselves to consider taking up the initiative/ case
Mahathir is saying that if the government tries to bring him down, there will be others that will go down with him. Typical arrogant modus operandi of a megalomaniac. He thinks that he has retained files on so many people that it will act as his “insurance” policy.
Yes, limkamput, we must take him down, and take the likes of him down for good.
Caught with his pants down, he is revealing his true colors; blackmail, threats and extortion are just part of his system. He ruled the country for 22 years with just these basic methods. Even the incorruptibles have been “corrupted” by him so that he have a “hold” on them. A creative evil force thats what he is.
Nobody is above the law, all wrong doers has to be charged and sentenced accordingly. Whether you are Tan Sri or Tun, all have to be punished for their wrong doing.
We cannot make or law as if to just punish those who are poor and weak. We should also punish those big buaya with tun or tan sri.
‘Others are more guilty than me…., this is perverted logic. He seems to say ‘two wrongs will make a right’. Since they are doing wrong to him, he has the right to extract revenge from them by doing greater vicious wrong.
He is speaking out of fear or else he is totally devoid of thye sense of right and wrong.
very sad and shameful to be a Malaysian for having such kind of PM for 22 years…… our country reputation has been washed into the drain (Big longkang).
We have to punish this jerk and put him into jail in order to restore or gain back our country reputation.
My analysis:
When Dr. M was testified recently, he claimed that he could not remember the infamous incident i.e. suffering from memory loss. However, after the Royal Commission of Inquiry concluded that Dr. M and the gangs were involved in the incident, he has dared the government to put him in court so that he could reveal everything.
Does this mean that Dr. M was LYING to judges and prosecutors at court recently? If so, will Dr. M be charged for lying to court?
Dr. Mahathir’s reaction clearly implies that the so-called ‘correct, correct, correct’ incident did take place!
MM was at the helm of this country for 22 years. with time that long he obviously would know many thing just like the back of his hand. It is also a fact that there are over a million cases in backlog in our lingamgate courts.
Making two and two together Mahathir is playing his ace card.
The public screams for justice and MM just wants his days in court.
Why only now Dr. M wants to reveal everything? Perhaps, he has regained his consciousness……….
Excellent! That is virtually an admission of guilt! Very very good!
Charge him like a wounded bull, and allow him to drag all of his cronies down with him. His cronies will not like it and will reveal even more corruption about MM and will also implicate his family (Hi there Mukriz!! How are you?).
Watch the snowball effect! The very first ‘winter’ in Malaysia!
Will he reveal everything? Including that he’s AB’s long-lost papa? That’s the way soap operas are supposed to be run.
“He may say I can’t remember any damn thing again.” limkamput
When you are the accused, you may have ‘difficulty’ in recalling events and conversations adverse to you! Witnesses for the prosecution will help fill the gaps!
At the end of the day, it is the totality of the evidence against you as the accused that counts and not what you choose not to remember.
We are seeing a mob here out for his blood, using as many adjectives to refer to the man as there are in the dictionary! Where were you guys when he and his Rat Pack were milking the country dry??
One cash cow after another so he could milk them dry? Even limkamput’s half starved and disease striken cow behind his attap house was not spared! Now he’s leading the mob out for his blood. Isn’t that all a little too late?
For a long time now, Mahathir has suffered from bouts of paranoid schizophrenia which explains his narcissistic personality. Now he’s acting like he is the leader of God’s chosen people about to deliver His Ten Commandments to UMNO.
One cash cow after another so he could milk them dry? Even limkamput’s half starved and disease striken cow behind his attap house was not spared! Now he’s leading the mob out for his blood. Isn’t that all a little too late?
Please read carefully – I have always maintained that this fellow is not up to any good even before any of these things come up. I think the issue is not that we don’t know. The issue is there is nothing much we can do when he was in power. Even mighty Anwar was also swept into oblivion. So now we are going after his blood because it is pay back time. Hence your comment was not totally fair by asking: “Where were you guys when he and his Rat Pack were milking the country dry”. The same question could also be directed at you, undergrad2.
We also want the present and future leaders to take the cue from here. Don’t abuse your power because the rakyat will go after them. We should never allowed dishonest leaders to retire gracefully. That has been my position all along. What more the arrogant ones. All over the world from Chile, Indonesia to the Phillippines, there are many examples for us to see. We must never be gentle to ex-politicians who abused their power. We not only must prosecute them to the full extent of the law, but must also seek restitution, making sure that their children will not get to enjoy the ill gotten gains.
We do not need fire for our already burning fire
Link: http://www.kingsmary.blogspot.com/
Mahathir won’t name any names. He is just hedging his bets in case he gets dragged into court, and he may need whatever corruption information he has in his pockets to “sway” the court.
/// For too long the man has a supercilious condescension towards all as lacking his intellect and Machiavellian deviousness. ///
Jeff – this I like.
;)
Mahathir is saying that if the government tries to bring him down, there will be others that will go down with him. Typical arrogant modus operandi of a megalomaniac. — Godfather
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Precisely! This mamak fella has been talking “like this” for as long as I can remember in the press and all!
I just hope he goes ‘down’ simply for his arrogance and for ignoring Makkal Sakthi and the voices of the Rakyat and bias policies of “Bangsa Malaysia”!
Get his son too, from what I heard, he’s in the top 20 “richest” businessman in the country! Never heard of his “company” to be honest??! Anybody seen him giving interviews to Newsweek & Times or The Star Malaysia??! lol
“And the architect of all these, in the twilight of an eventful life, becomes something like a defeated leader in war, with his peoiple deserting him, still combative but without soldiers, arsenal and ammunition, still scheming and plotting on how to prevail over circumstances but without success, still proud but sad and without peace….” -Jeffrey
I think that’s exactly how Hitler felt in his bunker during the closing chapters of the 2nd World War!!
Making two and two together Mahathir is playing his ace card.
The public screams for justice and MM just wants his days in court. – Greenacre
Don’t worry, Greenacre.
Since this case is of great public interest, it can be fast-tracked.
I thought the judiciary system should be free from politics right?
I mean, if Dr M interfered, it would be possible that politicians will be above the law.
Dr M should be prosecuted for creating doubt in the effectiveness of the judiciary system.
Who knows, maybe the judge that is in that court room now with Dr M is already Dr M’s ally? Wouldn’t that be very serious?
LET NOT THE POT CALL THE KETTLE BLACK!!