From Malaysian Insider

The anti-climactic resolution of the V.K. Lingam saga has not been getting a great deal of press time, even in the alternative media. It’s not a particularly sexy issue anymore, and the quiet whimper with which the government has dismissed it is enough to lull one into a false sense of complacency. But make no mistake about it: this is one of the most disastrous things to have ever happened in our country — so disastrous that once you fully understand its implications, you cannot see things in the same way ever again.

There is quite a bit of background to the case, which is why it might be hard initially to appreciate its full ramifications. To make a long story short, former Chief Justice Tun Eusoff Chin and prominent lawyer V.K. Lingam were photographed holidaying together in New Zealand about 15 years ago. This is actually quite bad, because it is an accepted ethical rule that judges do not fraternise with lawyers who are acting in cases which the judges will hear — Lingam represented tycoon Vincent Tan in his suit against journalist M.G.G. Pillai, a case eventually heard by a Federal Court panel which Eusoff chaired. (more…)

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Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim [Permatang Pauh]: Terima kasih Tuan Yang di-Pertua.

Saya bangun untuk membahaskan Rang Undang-Undang Jawatankuasa Etika Hakim 2008. Ini ada kaitan dengan soalan saya hari pertama sidang Parlimen ini menyentuh tentang isu integriti institusi-institusi utama dalam negara kita dan kita dapati dalam jawapan Timbalan Menteri masih dalam sindrom penafian. Etika ini ada kaitan dengan integriti dan saya juga agak dalam keadaan yang lebih sukar kerana berdiri di sini membahaskan isu hakim dan seperti mana ramai teman saya di Pakatan Rakyat sentiasa terpaksa berdepan dengan hakim. Kita akui tidak semua hakim yang tercemar dengan isu perilaku yang salah menjadi boneka ataupun rasuah dan ramai yang mempunyai integriti tetapi yang kita bicara pada hari ini ialah soal sistem salah satu tunggak utama dalam Perlembagaan Negara kita. Yang kita bicara hari ini etika hakim adalah satu isu yang ada kaitan dengan Perlembagaan Negara.

Saya juga hendak rujuk kepada jawapan bertulis semalam oleh Menteri berkaitan dengan isu yang heboh selama hampir satu dekad atau lebih iaitu jawapan Menteri kepada Yang Berhormat Tuan Lim Guan Eng, Bagan, tentang tindakan ke atas syor-syor Suruhanjaya Diraja mengenai Pita Lingam. Jawapannya bahawa Peguam Negara dapati tidak ada kes dan tidak ada pendakwaan yang perlu.

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Dari Harakah Daily

Ketika memuncak cerita dua Adun PKR yang kini menjadi Adun Bebas yang menyokong Umno mahu kembali menyokong usul untuk membubarkan Dun Perak, saksi utama kes rasuah mereka menukar kenyataannya dalam Mahkamah Sesyen.

Dari mengaitkan kedua-duanya dengan rasuah, saksi utama itu, Mohd Imran Abdullah, agen provokasi dari Badan Pencegah Rasuah (kini SPRM), menukar kenyataannya di Mahkamah Sesyen, lapor wartawan Jaspal Singh dalam laman web NST.

Dalam keterangannya, Imran berkata, Jamaludin Mohd Radzi, Adun Behrang yang juga bekas Exco Perak tidak menerima sebarang rasuah dari beliau untuk meluluskan projek di Pusat Bandar Seri Iskandar.

Dia juga berkata, Jamaludin juga tidak meminta sebarang wang untuk kelulusan projek tersebut. (more…)

By Ilica Malkanthi Karunaratne

Through legend and lore, both historical and literary, giants have a special place. People are always fascinated by these larger than life characters from the real giant–Goliath–to the fictional giant of Jack and the beanstalk fame.

Dudley Senanayake and Anwar Ibrahim can both be considered giants among men; particularly among politicians and statesmen of our time. One similarity is their firm stance against corruption, lawlessness and injustice. Dudley, as Anwar mentioned, was one of the first leaders among Asians to focus on poverty eradication. Another similarity which I noted after reading through some of Anwar’s publications is that Dudley, a devout Buddhist, and Anwar a devout Muslim, both believed that no ethnic group or religion was superior to the other. They believed not only on good relations and harmony among ethnic groups in their own countries but also in friendship and cooperation among all races in the world. One of Dudley’s most famous sayings was: ‘I long for the day when every Sri Lankan can say with pride this is my own, my native land”

Reading through Anwar’s writing on The Asian Renaissance, I noted an important passage which read: “Properly instituted democracy will ensure order and stability. Because it allows for legitimate grievances to be aired and contentious issues to be openly debated, democracy prevents the accumulation of violent and disruptive forces. The pursuit of economic prosperity is no justification for the persistent and flagrant deprivation of political and civil liberties.” (more…)

From Malaysian Insider

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (picture) slammed the government in Parliament today for letting “judiciary fixer” senior lawyer Datuk VK Lingam off the hook.

He argued that it was pointless for Parliament to debate on Judges Ethics Bill which is aimed at reforming a judiciary marred by decades of abuses when the government refused to take action against highly-connected judiciary figures found to be corrupt.

“Now Lingam is all powerful,” Anwar said during debate on the Bill.

Lingam was implicated in a judiciary scandal involving senior government judges and found by a royal commission to be the person who was recorded “fixing” the appointment of judges.

The commission found strong evidence against Lingam and in its report suggested that action be taken against Lingam and others implicated in the infamous “correct, correct, correct” recording. (more…)