Posted on by Kit

Haider Report on Lingam Tape – who is boss in Cabinet, Najib or Abdullah?

I commend the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for countermanding the decision of his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to bypass the Cabinet and defer consideration of the Lingam Tape scandal, in particular the findings of the three-man Haidar Panel.

Yesterday morning, Najib indicated that the Cabinet would be by-passed when he told reporters after opening the 35th Asean Chemical Industries Council Conference (ACIC) that the Government will assess in a matter of days the Haidar Panel report on the authenticity of the Lingam Tape.

Najib said: “Yes (we have received it). I don’t have time to look at the report yet (but) I would assess the report in a matter of days and I would discuss with the PM (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) on what to do.”

Najib’s announcement had come as a shock for it meant at least two things:

  • That the top Barisan Nasional leadership in government are living in a world of their own, without any sense of urgency and completely cut off from the primary concerns of thinking Malaysians, in this case over the worsening crisis of confidence in the independence and integrity of the judiciary which had been rocking the country for nearly two months with the explosive allegations of the perversion of the course of justice contained in the Lingam Tape;
  • That the Cabinet is not only “half-past six” but completely expendable. It was not consulted when the decision to establish the so-called Haider Independent Panel to probe into the authenticity of the Lingam Tape was made — when what should be set up should be a Royal Commission of Inquiry — and the Cabinet is again utterly irrelevant in the decision-making as to the next step to be taken after the submission of the Haider Report.

If the Cabinet is by-passed on the Haider Panel Report today, because Najib was too busy to read the report (it must be the thinnest and briefest inquiry report in Malaysian history), then the entire Cabinet should be censured for its irresponsibility and irrelevance.

This is why the announcement by the Prime Minister in Kuching last night that the Cabinet today will discuss the findings of the Haider Panel on the Lingam Tape and countermanding Najib’s earlier statement is most welcome — as the Haider Panel Report cannot wait a single day if the Cabinet is serious about Malaysia’s reputation and international competitiveness which is inextricably linked to the independence and integrity of judiciary and a just rule of law.

It has been reported that Najib will not be present for today’s Cabinet meeting but the more important question is who is the boss in the Cabinet – Najib or Abdullah.

The Cabinet will be seriously remiss in its national responsibilities if it evades or procrastinates in making a decision — and the least it could do is to immediately make public the Haider Report as well as set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Tape allegations and the whole issue of the independence, integrity and quality of the judiciary.

28 Replies to “Haider Report on Lingam Tape – who is boss in Cabinet, Najib or Abdullah?”

  1. While it is a good development from Najib’s previous announcement, whether the whole issue is just some form of “sandiwara”, depends on what happens next. Let’s not distract ourselves from the issue at hand, which is to find out what the Government is about to do with the findings of this… Haidar Panel.

  2. Ah, but AAB himself can be countermanded because he suffers from attention deficit syndrome. At the cabinet meeting, they will wait for him to fall asleep, then when he wakes up the meeting will be over.

  5. Their plan is this; delay the decision as long as possible so that the whole incident is forgotten. The alleged lawyer and judge and their hench men mentioned should be punished.
    Keep up the heat.
    This is not the first time the alleged lawyer was involved in a scandal. He had holidayed together with a former CJ. That also got free.
    If pak Lah is so keen on Islam Hadhari, he should make sure that those people who are suppose to uphold justice be punisished severely.
    Islam condemns injustice and is for fairness.
    The alleged judge must have favoured this lawyer clients in many case , I believe. Betul, betul buat aniaya!! Berdosa atau tidak? Pak Lah!!!!

  6. Deliberate disinformation,deception and blatant false statements to convince someone of an untruth
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation
    Disinformation is the deliberate dissemination of false information. It may include the distribution of forged documents, manuscripts, and photographs, or propagation of malicious rumours and fabricated intelligence. In the context of espionage or military intelligence, it is the deliberate spreading of false information to mislead an enemy as to one’s position or course of action. It also includes the distortion of true information in such a way as to render it useless.

    Disinformation techniques may also be found in commerce and government, used by one group to try to undermine the position of a competitor. It in fact is the act of deception and blatant false statements to convince someone of an untruth….

  8. St0rmFury:

    If you listen to those who are privy to what happens at cabinet meetings, you will puke. All the ministers are running wild, and they have their own agendas which typically mean that if you sokong my deal, I will also sokong your deal. Sleepy Head is not in control, he is not respected, and they just sit there and wait for him to say whatever he wants to say – then they go ahead and do their own thing anyway.

    This is leadership Bolehland style.

  9. All along, as long as it concerns the judiaciary, especially in this case, it is solely the responsibilty of the Bar Council to pursue the matter and squeeze out the truth if they have to, and bring back justice to the court room (or else how can they work). The Bar Council also have to answer without fail how its member – “Lingam”‘s involvement in this case and what they are going to do with him?

  11. YB

    I hate to sound so hopeless, but it is hopeless.

    Just take the child rapist case of Nurin, here are the results so far, after a big outburst of national outburst :

    1) Caught an Indonesian, alas just charge for overstaying….anyone can do that
    2) Caught the guy who release the the post mortem picture of Nurin….such good result

    Itu saja. Tutup case, sambung tidur. Soon the public will forget. So many years of tutup satu mata, no reason to believe other wise.

    YB, what are we Malaysians gonna do? So the Lingam tape + the Bersih march will just join the list of, the 27 million ringgit cop, the Free Port in Klang, the AP issues, the Scenic Bridge issue, the Scomi case, the using of C4 to BBQ someone, the murder of top cops, the sacking of Lord president of the courts,on + on + on + on….. zzz…zzzz….zzzz

    It is easier said than done, but as long as the opposition are fragmented, as long as all your struggle can’t result in an real alternative for the people, most people will just practise the time tested logic of “if you cannot beat them, join them”. Just look at our friend Lee Lam Thye. His was awarded a Tan Sri ship, not because of all the sosial work he did for the people, but because he agree to stop doing them anymore.

    I truely admire you + your team, for all that you have gone thru’ for Malaysia. Please offer leadership….for a long term solution. Be the mover to forge a real alternative. Take the example of smaller alternative fronts in Canada, Germany + just yesterday Denmark…. YB, while in my life time i might not see it……but please lead, so that our children + grand children will not feel as hopeless as me.

  12. “The Bar Council also have to answer without fail how its member – “Lingam”’s involvement in this case and what they are going to do with him?” dawsheng

    The lawyer was caught on tape for conspiring to fix judicial appointments. This is enough for the Bar Council to strip him off his license to practice law. Why hasn’t it done so??

  13. Pingback: Haider Report on Lingam Tape - who is boss in Cabinet, Najib or … on Boss

  15. “The contest is not between Us and Them, but between Good and Evil,
    and if those who would fight Evil adopt the ways of Evil, Evil wins.”
    Abuses and Usurpations
    Find out just what the people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.
    — Frederick Douglass, civil rights activist, Aug. 4, 1857

    Any power that can be abused will be abused.
    — Tyranny Law #1

    Abuse always expands to fill the limits of resistance to it.
    — Tyranny Law #2

    If people don’t resist the abuses of others, they will have no one to resist the abuses of themselves, and tyranny will prevail.
    — Tyranny Law #3

  17. “Only the defeated and deserters go to the wars,
    cowards that run away and enlist.”
    “Men make an arbitrary code, and because it is not right,
    they try to make it prevail by might.
    The moral law does not want any champion.
    Its asserters do not go to war.
    It was never infringed with impunity.”
    “The law will never make men free;
    it is men who have got to make the law free.
    They are the lovers of law and order,
    who observe the law when the government breaks it. ”
    “If a thousand men were not to pay their tax-bills this year,
    that would not be a violent and bloody measure,
    as it would be to pay them, and enable the State
    to commit violence and shed innocent blood.
    This is, in fact, the definition of a peaceable revolution,
    if any such is possible.”
    Cast your whole vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole influence. A minority is powerless while it conforms to the majority; it is not even a minority then; but it is irresistible when it clogs by its whole weight. If the alternative is to keep all just men in prison, or give up war and slavery, the State will not hesitate which to choose.

  18. Like their parents, the 18 children detained at Saturday’s illegal rally in Kuala Lumpur are now in hot water.

    The Education Ministry is taking a dim view of their participation and will be getting their names from the police.

    Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar said the students must be rehabilitated and made aware that they had to abide by the law.

    More…

    http://www.malaysia-today.net/nuc2006/news2007.php?itemid=259

  22. Let’s say the Bar Council strips Lingam of his practising licence. Lingam sues the Bar Council for wrongful act and proceeds to “choose” his own judge to hear his case. You still think that the Bar Council can win ?

  23. Big bullies. Why pick on school children ? The children must have their statements taken and witnessed by lawyers, and then released to go home. The govt cannot detain them and create undue stress to these children. This is torturing !!!

  24. Yeah, we really cant wait for these people to do their job because these people simply would not do it. They show no results. Once the people got the power, the entire Parliament must be revamped. Those from the BN/UMNO should be fired and investigated for corruption. Seriously, how many incompetence can Malaysia tolerate? These guys are basically destructive elements that runs the country to the ground. So they deserve no mercy, should be investigated and if possible prosecuted to the fullest extend of the law. That is provided we can remove an incompetent AG and start a reformation of judiciary. The reformation of the judiciary is paramount to the interest of national security.

    The IGP and Adnan talking about national security are pure BS and an insults to Malaysians. So keep spreading the news on how twisted this current goverment is and get more and more people to join the cause. Power to the people.

  26. “What video ? what recording ? That’s all hearsay because nothing can be authenticated.” GODFATHER

    “What video ? what recording ? That’s all hearsay because nothing can be authenticated.” GODFATHER

    Dear Godfather,

    Photographs, closed-circuit TV recording, video recording are not statements infringing on the common law rule against hearsay evidence.

    Admittedly it meets the common law definition of ‘hearsay’. A photograph is a hearsay statement, don’t you think so? A statement is hearsay if it is an out-of-court statement repeated in court as proof of its contents.

    But a closed-circuit TV recording of you robbing a bank is considered ‘real’ evidence and is admissible in a court of law. The court views it and you can make up your mind what you see and hear. It is considered as ‘real evidence’.

    But I think Godfather, what you really wanted to say is it is not proof of any criminal wrongdoing. The ‘real’ evidence shows someone who looks like V.K. Lingam talking to another. The tape by itself is insufficient proof of anything (underline ‘by itself’). On that issue you are spot on.

    A statement could be heresay evidence, and therefore inadmissible in a court of law, depending on how you use it.

  27. “Let’s say the Bar Council strips Lingam of his practising licence. Lingam sues the Bar Council for wrongful act and proceeds to “choose” his own judge to hear his case. You still think that the Bar Council can win ?” GODFATHER

    There is the issue of ‘ethics’ and this case clearly involves a serious violation of ethics. That is enough for his practicing certificate to be suspended at the very least – awaiting criminal charges if any.

    Corrupt some members of the Bench may appear to be, I still have confidence in the system. You are asking me to speculate as to the outcome of a court case when as yet there are no litigants.

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