Should be ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and not neither here nor there
Published on: Sunday, July 30, 2017
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ON 27th July, Daily Express carried a story on the front page titled Datuks Council Backs Malajum.
I was ecstatic that our Sabah Council of Datuks led by it’s President Datuk Claudius Roman had taken a bold stand on the issue of the appointment of the Chief Justice of the Federal Court. As I read the article, I felt as Sabahans the Council of Datuks was doing the right thing.
They were backing a fellow Sabahan who was no ordinary person. Tan Sri Richard Malanjum has reached his current position by virtue of his capability and reading of the Law. He has left his mark on the judiciary that any other Sabahan will find difficult to emulate. So the statement backing Malanjum by the Council of Datuk’s was indeed noteworthy until you reach para 6 of the article.
The Council, it read “ Was merely giving its view and will accept any decision by the Federal Government on the matter”. What an anti climax.
If you are prepared to accept any decision by the Federal Government on this matter, why bother to back Malanjum’s right to office as Chief Justice of the Federal Court?
What have you achieved by being wishy washy on this issue?
What exactly is the stand of the Council of Datuks if you are prepared to accept any decision made by the Federal Government on the matter?
It is just so hollow and so unconvincing because you are telling the powers that be that you are willing to accept their decision and that you, the Council of Sabah Datuks will just go along with it. It is as if you say one thing and mean another.
Please all you people of influence, be you politicians, community leaders of persons of some public standing, say what you mean and mean what you say.
It’s either a YES or a NO. It cannot be a case of “however”. Stand up for what you believe in and live by it.
All you have achieved is to tell the Federal Government that you are actually backing them on their decision as to who should rightfully be the Chief Justice of the Federal Court!
The Sabah Law Association and their Sarawak counterparts as well as the Justices of Peace Council did better with an unwavering stand.
So did former state AG Tan Sri Herman Luping who bluntly asked why Malaysians from Sabah and Sarawak are denied the opportunity to hold certain key posts when its supposed to be 1Malaysia and 50 years have passed since independence.
No Man, Yes Man
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