New Straits Times (Letters Section) (Used by permission) by Syed Omar Mohamed, Kluang, Johor
"BE you ever so high, the law is still above you." This statement was made famous by Lord Hewitt some 200 years ago and later endorsed by Lord Denning, one of the greatest English judges in the last century.
Time and again, history has shown that no matter how rich or high a person’s status in life is, that person is not above the law.
Justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done.
Senator Tajul Urus Mohd Zain’s accusation that the New Straits Times, by highlighting Datuk Zakaria Mat Deros building his mansion without approval from the Klang Municipal Council, has an agenda is without basis and illogical (NST, Oct 16).
To state that it is a "normal" thing to build a house first and to thereafter pay a fine should there be a problem, smacks of arrogance.
By inferring that with money, all matters can be solved indicates an unhealthy respect for the law.
Further, the senator argues that there are hundreds of churches, temples and other places of worship being illegally built in Perak.
Pay whatever fine is imposed and the matter is laid to rest, he says.
Every day, there are thousands of motorists speeding along the highways. Those booked by the police for speeding cannot accuse the police of having an agenda against them. The senator’s argument, therefore, cannot hold water under any circumstance.
Without being emotional or biased, and taking a proper perspective of the whole episode, the senator should be able to distinguish the correctness or otherwise of Zakaria’s action.
His folly is that he did not wait for his building plans to be approved. As a state assemblyman, he should set a better example than the man in the street.
We cannot condone his action. The law must take its course.
The New Straits Times, being the oldest English newspaper in the country, owes a duty to its readers to inform us of the happenings in the country.
I cannot find any ulterior motive or wrongful agenda perpetuated by the daily against Zakaria.
DESCENT INTO GIBBERISH written by Stephen Tan Ban Cheng,
Thursday, November 23 2006 11:02 am
Going by normal yardsticks, the ruling National Front Senator's speech is recorded in the Hansard for the edification of posterity.
It will also shows to what levels of gibberish that the Upper House of our Malaysian Parliament has descended.
Oh, what will I give to return to a time when the standard of debate in our Parliament was the envy of the House of Commons in the sceptred isle of the Bard.
But of course that was nearly forty or fifty years ago - long before the Opposition benches were cowed by the Sedition Act, the Official Secrets Act and the Internal Security Act, long before the university students were statutorily restrained and long before the media was similarly hampered.
Write comment
You must be logged in to a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.
2012 Bar Council Subscription Click the link above to download Circular 072/2012 pertaining to the 2012 Bar Council subscription, including the payment guide and a set of Frequently-Asked-Questions.
2012 Hotel Corporate Rates Attending seminars? Going for a holiday? Click on the link above to check out the list of hotel corporate rates for Members of the Bar, which is updated regularly.
Bar Council Bookshop Read MORE … but pay LE$$! Members enjoy a 20% discount on LexisNexis publications at the Bar Council Bookshop. Click on the link above for the list of available titles.
International Malaysia Law Conference (26 to 28 Sept 2012) Hurry up! The countdown continues and the current promotion rate ends 30 June 2012. Don't miss what is going to be the best conference in the region! On top of that, if you sign up with 5 or more people from the same organisation, we will give you a 10% group discount. Click on the link above to register.
Talk on Summary Judgement (25 May 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, this talk will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). The talk will be conducted by Ramesh Supramanian. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on Tax Issues in Financial Transactions (25 May 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar, featuring S Saravana Kumar, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Dialogue with Criminal Law Practitioners (26 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council, this dialogue will take place at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at the Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 26 May 2012 (Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
Conference on Competition Law (31 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council with the support of LexisNexis, this conference will take place at 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, at Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, on 31 May 2012 (Thursday). For more details or to register, please contact Vilashini Vijayan (03-2050 2095; vila@malaysianbar.org.my). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on What Clients Want (7 June 2012) Organised by the KL Bar Practitioners' Affairs Committee, the talk, presented by Ong Eu Jin, will take place at 5:00 pm, at the KL Bar Auditorium, on 7 June 2012 (Thursday). Click on the link above for more details.
4th LAWASIA Family Law Conference, Penang (13 and 14 July 2012) Supported by Penang Bar Committee and the Malaysian Bar, this conference, themed “The New Global Family: Emerging Trends and Challenges to Family Practice”, will take place at Traders Hotel, Penang, on 13 and 14 July 2012 (Friday and Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
News/Notices 
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Circular No 109/2012: Be a Part of the Bar Council Constitutional Law Committee
Going by normal yardsticks, the ruling National Front Senator's speech is recorded in the Hansard for the edification of posterity.
It will also shows to what levels of gibberish that the Upper House of our Malaysian Parliament has descended.
Oh, what will I give to return to a time when the standard of debate in our Parliament was the envy of the House of Commons in the sceptred isle of the Bard.
But of course that was nearly forty or fifty years ago - long before the Opposition benches were cowed by the Sedition Act, the Official Secrets Act and the Internal Security Act, long before the university students were statutorily restrained and long before the media was similarly hampered.