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Next CJ – not affected by “Judicial reforms”

De facto Law Minister, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has just confirmed that the appointment of the next Chief Justice will not be affected by any judicial reform currently in the pipeline.

I posed this question during the winding-up of the debate on the Judges’ Remuneration (Amendment) Bill 2008.

The Chief Justice, Tun Abdul Hamid will retire on 18th October 2008.

I pointed out that as it does not appear that the much-hyped judicial reform, including the establishment of a Judicial Appoinments Commission, will be presented to Parliament before October although Zaid had earlier promised that the legislative proposals would be presented in the current meeting of Parliament, the appointment of the next Chief Justice will be by the present process.

When Zaid agreed, I remarked that the country seems set to have the first UMNO Chief Justice in the nation’s history.

I had earlier expressed my concern that the government is back-tracking on its promise of judicial reforms.

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Strongest “intelligence” for 3-day police gridlock of Klang Valley nothing but a lie – Hamid should apologise and even resign in disgrace

The strongest “intelligence” to justify the three-day police lockdown of Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley has proved to be nothing but a lie.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar alleged that Pakatan Rakyat leadership had met last Wednesday to plot a demonstration in Parliament yesterday to coincide with a no-confidence motion on the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

This is what Hamid said, as reported by the Star:

Syed Hamid said intelligence was also gathered from a July 9 meeting chaired by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. at the PKR headquarters.

“Anwar said at the meeting that some BN MPs would give support to PKR (on the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister) and he would then lead the demonstration at Parliament,” he added.

Syed Hamid said the meeting was attended by various leaders, including DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, DAP vice-chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw and PAS treasurer Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli.

“This proves that the threat was very real. The intention was clear, we had to take some action to prevent bigger things from happening.”

There was no such Pakatan Rakyat leadership meeting at the venue, date, time and for the purpose alleged. Continue reading “Strongest “intelligence” for 3-day police gridlock of Klang Valley nothing but a lie – Hamid should apologise and even resign in disgrace”

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Road Block Causes Failure in CLP Examination

Letters
by Ganesh

I refer to Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar’s apology with regards to the massive traffic jams caused yesterday. What Syed Albar does not realize is that, not only were people late in reaching their offices and thus productivity was affected, many people also missed important examinations.

Monday was the first day of the Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) examinations held in University Malaysia (UM). As the examination was 9 am, many left much earlier from their houses. As for me, I left 7am from my house located in Subang Jaya. Usually by 7.30 am, I would be passing EPF.

However, to my shock and horror, I only reached UM at 10.30am, by that time, it was too late to sit for that particular paper. I was crawling in a standstill jam all the way on the Federal Highway. It was too late for me to turn and use any alternatives as it was a bottleneck jam everywhere and impossible to use any other alternatives.

Many people sitting this examination were either late or just failed to turn up because as one knows, reaching late to the examination hall, one would be barred from entering the hall.

And the CLP examination is such, that if you miss just one paper, you might as well resit the whole examination the next year as you would clearly fail the whole examination having not sat one paper completely. Continue reading “Road Block Causes Failure in CLP Examination”

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How to radicalise our universities

by Dr. Azly Rahman

My parents, like those of many of you readers too, only managed to complete Darjah Tiga/ Standard Three of their education. Poverty and the nature of ‘human capital revolution’ during the 1940s did not afford them the luxury of being in an ivory tower. Hard times.

One became a taxi driver and the other first, a seamstress and next, a factory worker in Singapore assembling microchips for a German multinational corporation. They would leave for work at four or five in the morning and come home at seven at night. That was the story of their lives. I am sure they too had the dream of entering a place called the “university.”

They spent their time -hard times- that took toll on their personal lives, raising their children to enter the university.

But they had an intelligent hunch, they believed universities will make everybody come out smarter and able to think critically, creatively, and altruistically. They did not have the knowledge of political economy to decipher the fact that universities are closely linked to the politics of the day. Continue reading “How to radicalise our universities”