Lingam Tape RCI – what actually did the Cabinet decide yesterday?


Malaysians are utterly confused as to what the Cabinet decided on the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Tape and the Judiciary yesterday.

Did yesterday’s Cabinet, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawai was in Singapore for the ASEAN Summit, make the decisions on the terms of reference, scope of power and composition which are to be announced by the Prime Minister — as was the impression given by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz in his comments to the press at the Parliament lobby?

Or did the Cabinet yesterday just decided that decisions on these aspects of the Royal Commission of Inquiry are put off to the next Cabinet meeting, as appears to be gist of what Abdullah said in Singapore last evening?

Whatever the case, it paints a picture of a bumbling and shambolic Cabinet which is neither serious nor professional in handling vital national issues, especially one so critical in determining Malaysia’s international competitiveness such as national and international confidence in the independence and integrity of the judiciary.

It has taken the Prime Minister and the Cabinet two months to decide that there should be a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Tape, when this would have been the right, proper and immediate thing for a government which is serious about accountability, integrity and good governance to do.

Why is the Abdullah government continuing to drag its feet on the Royal Commission of Inquiry, as if this is the least of its concerns?

Furthermore, why has the Haider Panel Report not yet been made public, another implicit undertaking of the Prime Minister? What has the government got to hide in refusing to immediately making public the Haider Report?

Special Cabinet meetings outside the weekly Wednesday meetings had been held before. This is one subject whose import would justify a special Cabinet meeting so that the necessary decisions could be taken if they had not been taken yet — and I call on Abdullah not to delay any further but to act decisively to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry with untrammeled powers not only to investigate into every aspect of judicial impropriety disclosed in the Lingam Tape but also probe into the 19-year series of crisis of confidence on the independence and integrity of the judiciary so that judges, lawyers and all Malaysians can feel proud again about the Malaysian judiciary and system of justice.

  1. #1 by grace on Thursday, 22 November 2007 - 1:27 pm

    Mr Lim,
    I have a feeling that the authority is paid to protect the crooks and corrupted.
    I do not see why they should be delaying?
    THE MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC WANT THE LAWYER, JUDGE AND BUSINESSMAN MENTIONED CHARGED!

    I believe those who vote for BN must be doing so thru’ [deleted]

  2. #2 by mendela on Thursday, 22 November 2007 - 1:33 pm

    To side track, are there anyone out there think that Malaysia will win the court case now being fight at World Court at Netherlands?

    Looking at substances the Malaysian team has presented so far against the well polished and well prepared Singaporean team, Malaysia has zero chance to win!

    Frankly, Malaysia should not have engaged in such lop-sided war at all. Malaysia has a super stupid Government! Who will needs to bear the expensive court cost at last, Malaysia tax payers!

    Anyone want to bet with me on who will win this case? Any takers?

  3. #3 by sj on Thursday, 22 November 2007 - 2:13 pm

    Well..they need to think it through how to cover it up, before the election. Or to try to find their own cronies to fill up the RCI panel.

  4. #4 by kanthanboy on Thursday, 22 November 2007 - 2:46 pm

    “..anyone out there think that Malaysia will win the court case now being fight at World Court at Netherlands?” mendela
    —————————————–
    Why don’t you check with OKT since you have such a high regard in him!

  5. #5 by kanthanboy on Thursday, 22 November 2007 - 2:54 pm

    correction,should be:

    Why don’t you check with OTK since you have such a high regard in him!

  6. #6 by peng on Thursday, 22 November 2007 - 3:09 pm

    Mendela,
    I want to bet but I am placing on our country to lose! So that makes the 2 of us.

  7. #7 by HJ Angus on Thursday, 22 November 2007 - 3:23 pm

    If I were the PM, I will only consult members of the Cabinet who will not be implicated by any fall-outs from the RCI into the Judiciary.

    This RCI is really more important than the IPCMC as it cuts into the heart of the entire justice system.
    http://malaysiawatch3.blogspot.com/2007/11/why-that-royal-commission-for-judiciary.html

  8. #8 by somethingStirring on Thursday, 22 November 2007 - 3:36 pm

    After four years of seeing Badawi in ‘action’, i think we have a fairly accurate assessment of this man.

    He is a HYPOCRITE.

    For all his high brow talk of Islamic virtues, his is really just a lousy politician. Proscratination is least of his weaknesses. He came across as insincere and weak.

    Why doesn’t he want a fairer and freer election?
    Doesn’t he want to restore public confidence in the judiciary?
    Why doesn’t he listen to the people?

    He is lucky that he doesnt need to answer these questions face to face with concerned Malaysians publicly, because if he does, he’ll fumble and mumble like an old fool.

  9. #9 by k1980 on Thursday, 22 November 2007 - 4:58 pm

    Sumatra was also under the Melaka Sultanate, so why don’t Malaysia reclaim it too!

  10. #10 by Tulip Crescent on Thursday, 22 November 2007 - 7:43 pm

    Pay no attention to the Nazri Abdul Aziz guy. He is a politician through and through. He does not even know when to give a professional answer. always insisting on a political one.

    At his age doing suh a thing, he must be sick in the head.

  11. #11 by undergrad2 on Thursday, 22 November 2007 - 10:13 pm

    This is my final say about the issue

    http://rotikacangmerah.blogspot.com/2007/11/nakal.html

  12. #12 by Filibuster on Friday, 23 November 2007 - 12:55 am

    HJ Angus Says:

    “This RCI is really more important than the IPCMC as it cuts into the heart of the entire justice system.”

    This is if both concepts serve their purposes of creation – if the RCI ends up as a limited investigation, unable to press on events from certain timelines, then the whole concept, not to mention the people’s time, would go to waste. An interesting “what if” would be what will people think of the Government then?

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