There is no doubt that the whole board governing the CLP examination must resign. As a result of its incompetence many of the students are made to suffer. The story of leakage of examination papers is indeed an old one and at one time the Malaysian public felt that this is the exclusive province of the Education Department which conducts the SPM and the STPM examinations.

Now we note that it has encroached into the arena of the CLP professional examination. The CLP or the Bar exam is the final professional examination that allows a candidate to begin his or her nine months pupilage before he or she could be called and admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya. It is at this stage that he learns under a master who will teach him the ropes and induce him into a young lawyer.

The legal profession is one that lives on honesty and integrity. It is essential that these young lawyers must come clean in the profession. Now as a result of the scandal, the whole class of CLP students' ability and competence are in doubt. My heart and sympathy go to those who are honest, diligent and hardworking students, but it is essential that only the competent and the qualified be allowed to be inducted into the legal profession.

I am of the view that in the light of this scandal, common sense dictates that their results have to be nullified.

In the long run, it is to the benefit of the legal profession and to the students in question that they be required to re-sit the CLP examination. My only concern is who can we trust to carry out this duty to set the papers and conduct the examination honestly.