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Two swallows do not make a judicial summer
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YOURSAY | ‘I, for one, thought the lawsuit would be struck out like many others in the past.’

Widow's suit: Stay bid rejected, Najib and wife ordered to file defence

Trueglitter: The sentiments of all righteous Malaysians are understandably encouraged and rejoicing over the apt emergence of courageous and ennobled High Court Justice Hue Siew Kheng, who has directed Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, to file their defence over suit filed by A Santamil Selvi, widow of private eye P Balasubramaniam.

Our once respected judiciary system has unjustifiably been trampled upon and made a mockery by the blatant abuse of power cum alleged corruption by the-powers-that-be, involving particularly the horrendous and mysterious murder of Mongolian national, Altantuyaa Shaariibuu.

As the saying goes, “Justice delayed is justice denied,” hence, there is still salvation of the nation's invaluable dignity cum intangible pride in the eyes of the international and local community, only when said legal process is permitted to proceed without any hindrance or unceremonious termination by the “hidden hands” of those vested with the authoritative might to safeguard their own self-preservation.

Victor Johan: Justice Hue had ruled that there were no special circumstances shown by Najib, Rosmah and the other defendants for the court to grant the stay in filing their defence.

She had said that granting of the stay may have prevented Balasubramaniam's widow Santamil and her children from exercising their fundamental rights.

So, let’s us all see how the covetous Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) and the First Lady of Malaysia (Flom) file in documentation to defend themselves, and whether they and the others would deploy “hook or crook” methods.

CQ Muar: Bravo, this is by far the best news coming from a wise judge. However, we do hope nothing will come in-between and disrupt this directive made by Justice Hue.

Far too many events had mysteriously ended up in favour of Najib thus far, therefore, we pray this decision will see Najib and Rosmah making their defence in court.

The entire nation awaits this moment of truth.

Anonymous #21828131: Looking at the comments in Malaysiakini, it is sad indeed that the learned judge is doubted by many, as if the truth hurts or has become unacceptable to many due to the current state of affairs and general view of the judiciary held by the general public.

As what the Chief Justice (CJ) Md Raus Sharif said in a statement last week, it is funny how the CJ himself was wary that such a perception is held by a great number of the rakyat.

We have to ask ourselves why such a statement was issued in the first place. Has the CJ begun to doubt himself?

Could we find such a situation in the UK, Australia or New Zealand, the judiciaries which we are trying hard to emulate?

Why has the system denigrated to such a state? The answer is obvious. Look at this case. I, for one, thought the lawsuit would be struck out like so many other cases in the past which involved the PM.

The rule of law must take precedence. However, in spite of all that has been said, we are waiting with bated breath to see how far this case will go. We want to see if mere lip service is sufficient.

FellowMalaysian: All the evidence points out that there was indeed a conspiracy launched by the defendants in sending Balasubramaniam and his family away to India in July 2008 for an extended period of time for reasons linked to the claims in Balasubramaniam's statutory declarations (SDs).

Why must the court decide whether to strike out Santamil's application? It has been nine long years now and it’s time that some semblance of justice prevails.

Fernz: If there are no special circumstances, there are no special circumstances. There's no reason to strike out the suit.

The people are watching the judiciary. The court has to determine why the family had to flee the country. Balasubramanian’s SD1 and SD2 have been mentioned as the reasons.

Bluemountains: Justice Hue was a Sessions Court judge in Ampang in 1997/1998. After so many years, she managed to creep one step higher to become a High Court judge.

I am sure she must have been overtaken by many younger officials. To my mind, what matters most to her is to deliver a judgment with a clear conscience.

Najib, Zahid ordered to file defence over violations of oath

Oxymoronictendencies: Wow! For two days in a row, Najib was instructed to submit his defence. Has he lost control of the judiciary? Or is this a ploy that he hopes will make us think he has?

I guess we will see whether the applications to strike out the suits are granted. If they are granted, then we can safely presume he is still firmly in control; and that “judicial independence” is nothing but a thin veil of words belying the reality of the iron-cast control of the judiciary by the government.

Vijay47: Most of us firmly believe that in cases involving serious issues where the good guys win round one, they are sure to lose at the more authoritative superior levels.

So accustomed are we to this that when the bad guys make their expected appeals to the Court of Appeal or even the Federal Court, we assume that the decision would somehow be in their favour and the bad guys would walk.

But the two current cases are different, they may be at least for the moment merely two swallows whose presence does not confirm the arrival of summer sunshine.

But for the first time in our history, two powerful arrogant persons have been held accountable and asked to explain their actions. Is this defiance and pride emerging within the judiciary a hope that it would soon flow upwards?

We all wait to see whether the little leak will swell to be big enough to sink the Titanic.

Fairplayer: Yes, let credibility and integrity return to the Malaysian judiciary. Malaysians deserve better.

The guardians of justice must always stand on the side of justice and bring the crooks to book, without bias or prejudice.

JesuisAnwar: All it takes to turn things around in this benighted land is for a handful of brave and honest humans to carry out their public duty with integrity and professionalism.

Twice within a week, Najib has encountered fearless members of the judiciary who refused to bend over backwards to appease his wife.


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