vox populi small thumbnail'When has the race of a judge anything to do with the ability to discharge his duty with utmost integrity and competence?'

'No Indian M'sian judge in Federal Court'

Gandhi: Yes, YB M Manoharan, you have raised a sore and glaring point - that Indians have not been appointed as judges in the appellate and federal courts. This sorry state of affairs has been murmured, mumbled and moaned about by the public for a long time.

Gopal Sri Ram was cold-storaged for a long time. This heartache has been there and felt but no one had the conscience to bring it up in the open, except you. S Samy Vellu devoted his time trying to keep the community in the dark while he wallowed himself in the cheap luxury he was given.

Mano, people like yourself should speak up and inform the public about all of the discrimination. What do you call this practice of putting only one race to sit up there (the courts)? These double standards must change.

KerisTumpul: We don't need race-based judges. However, I feel the concern raised by Mano slightly differs from the general perception. All he questions is about appointing an Indian judge at the top-most level. I don't see any problem with this.

I'm sure all Malaysians have come across many high-profile religious/race/culture base cases or conflicts among Malaysians. Mostly, these cases end up at the Federal Court. It would be beneficial for the country to have a mix of judges from all races.

I don't disregard credibility of a Malay judge to deliver judgment for a Indian/Chinese or Malay/Chinese conflict. However, it would add the credibility of the judgment if we have a mix of judges from different races.

Retnam: It doesn't matter what race the judges are. What is important is that they be fair judges. What is the point of having Indian or Chinese judges who kowtow to Umno? Remember Augustine Paul? We certainly don't want despicable judges like that.

Let us move away from this race syndrome, please. It is becoming nauseating.

Imraz Muhd Ikhbal: When has the race of a judge anything to do with the ability to discharge his duty with utmost integrity and competence? Is the race of a judge or the race composition of judges in a panel reflective of how a race in this country is marginalised?

Is Manoharan insinuating that judges should rightfully rule in favour of their own race in any court proceeding whatever the evidence?

I am simply sickened to the stomach with this persistent idiotic mentality of selection criteria for any post being pegged to the race of a candidate. Pathetic still is the mentality that to be fair to a particular race is to have proportionate number of representatives from that race in any position of power.

Here we are, loathing the racist ideologies and advocacy or this racist government and its racist leaders and check out who we have as opposition to replace them? A bunch of racist bigots the likes of Manoharan and N Gobalakrishnan. Are we a racist nation destined for failure and destruction?

As a Malay myself, I for one have absolutely no problem if every judge in the country happens to be an Indian so long as meritocracy dictates and each of this noblemen uphold the law and enforce justice without fear or favour. It is fair and wise rulings that matters, not the race or skin colour of the judge delivering it.

Temenggong: We must ask why haven't Malay and Chinese MPs not raised this issue? Are they truly multiracial parties, or is it just a show?

To brand the state representative (Manoharan) a racist is to deviously deflect the real issue. This is exactly Umno-style. If we read carefully the readers' comments, we can observe that it is the Malays and the Chinese who are racists, and who try to deflect the issue with sophistries.

NX: I have yet to see a Indian fighting for a Chinaman cause and neither has the Chinaman fighting for the Melayu cause. You see we are all racist at heart. I checked myself over and over again and I admit that the element of racism is embedded deep in me. But where there is injustice and where help is required, I chose to see it as a human being.

Hashim: NX, you do have a short memory. Didn't Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng spent one year in prison for defending a Malay girl who was allegedly raped a former CM? On being released, Guan Eng was punished further when he was banned from politics for five years.

Nallakaruppan: How many judgments have these so-called Tan Sris and Datos written that are of worth? How many has Chief Justice Zaki Azmi? I would like to know. Gopal Sri Ram should have been the chief justice if they followed seniority and meritocracy.

Kazakh: When will our opposition members of parliament move away from the racist mentality they so opposed when it is used by the corrupt Umno/BN? Is it so important that there must be some Indian or other races appointed so as to reflect the national race ratio or plurality?

We need principled and unbiased judges. We care not if he or she is of any particular race as long as they are unbiased. Do you get that, Manoharan? Please move on. Get rid of your ‘Indian race' mentality. We are all Malaysians.


Kit Siang: Let's move on from race-based campaigns

Danny WK Lai: BN is pursuing the 1Malaysia strategy, and yet Pakatan Rakyat is going on the opposite directions - we are interested in nation-building, not who ought to be the superior race. If Pakatan does not start to do reform within their structure, the results of the next general election would be adversely against the opposition.

1d56: Ha, this wily old fox Lim Kit Siang. When DAP was going solo, race was all they harped on. Now that they have to carry the PAS baggage, they called for the changing of tunes pula...

Retnam: Good idea. Go for non-race-based type of campaigning. It won't be easy. But it has to be done. Then the Umno will die.

Louisg: Lim Kit Siang, you can only do that if your mandate stipulates a race relations act and an equal opportunities act. Then again, are the people ready to embrace such an act? If such an act is passed, please note: we will no longer be allowed to have advertisements like Chinese only, bumiputera only, and other such ads, etc.

Well, now since you have mentioned it, I think you should sincerely lead the way for a race relations act and the setting up of the commission of racial equality. Otherwise, no one will believe you.

Cocomomo: Pakatan must show there are different and move away from race-based politics. Leaders who harp on race-based issues should be kicked out. Leaders must be sincere and colour blind. They should work in the interests of all races.

Pakatan must also resist the temptation to work with race-based groups even if means the loss of some votes. In the long run, non-race-based politics and meritocracy must prevail for Malaysia to move forward.

DAP can lead the way by aggressively recruiting more non-Chinese members. DAP already has higher calibre Indian leaders than MIC. They should work towards recruiting more quality Malays and others.

 

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