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Malaysian Courts: Going Super Fast

Allow me to share a quote of wisdom : 'Though the wheels of justice grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience he stands waiting, with exactness grinds he all'.

I have read that there was a case of medical negligence, and involving the death of a lawyer, which took 23 years to reach our Court of Appeal. Yet these slow grinding wheels seem to have become supercharged for the benefit of Zambry Abd Kadir.

When the High Court on May 11 recognised Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin as the rightful Menteri Besar of Perak, the Court of Appeal lost no time in granting Zambry a stay of execution on the High Court decision. It did so within a few hours, in fact.

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Hawks and Doves

A good friend drew my attention recently to an incisive article on the distinction  between peace makers and hardliners that can make an important difference to the country. It was written by Stephen M. Walt who is the Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations at Harvard University.  Please check out:

http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/04/28/the_treason_of_the_hawks#comm

In the article, Walt points out that Fred Iklé coined the term "treason of the hawks" to describe those tragic situations where hardliners stubbornly refuse to make peace and thereby lead their countries to disaster. Iklé, who served as Ronald Reagan’s under secretary of defense was clearly no dove or man of peace.  But he was a smart man who recognized that obstinate opposition to making peace is dangerous to a nation's future and potentially as damaging as deliberately selling out to the enemy.  

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20th March 09

 

Like most ordinary people, I was initially very confused by all the articles and commentaries on the Perak constitutional crisis. Just like reading an interesting book, I was anxious to know what the ending would be. There is one important difference though. Unlike a book, the ending of this crisis – for better or for worse - will affect my life and the lives of ordinary rakyat of Perak, as well as all Malaysians, given the ramifications that the outcome will have on the constitutional process of political power and governance.

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Commentary by Koon Yew Yin

21st April, 2009

Ever since Tun Dr. Mahathir rejoined UMNO, he has been interfering in the new government under Prime Minister Najib Razak. Once again in the media and now, in his own blog site, he is pushing hard for building the crooked bridge.  This time though, Dr. Mahathir is playing his last trump card by appealing to our Malaysian sense of patriotism and nationalism and by trying to whip up anti-Singaporean sentiments.  This is clear from his first sentence on the subject as well as his last sentence as found in his blog posting on 20 April 2009 on “The Crooked Bridge???.  His first sentence notes that “The Star reported that Chinese businessmen in Johor Baru want the Crooked Bridge to be built??? and his last sentence asks: “Does the Government need to ask Singapore for permission to build the now desirable crooked bridge? Is Malaysia free to do things in its own territory? Are we really independent? I wonder.??? 

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A New Road Map To Vision 2020

The recent headline in one of the national papers ‘Gloom till end of next year’ together with a photo of our Second Finance Minister crying, has encouraged me to write this commentary article.  It touches on various sensitive issues that may seem to be disconnected but in fact are clearly part of a larger national problem.  

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