Chin Peng, the 81-year-old legendary guerilla leader and former secretary-general of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) has sought a court order as his "last resort" to return home after exhausting all other avenues.

Our Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar when commenting on this, stressed that our courts were open to anyone and it was for the court to make a decision on the application.

Our Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi also reiterated more or less a similar stand - for the court to decides whether Chin Peng had the right to file the application and return home.

The legal action taken by Chin Peng and the responses of Barisan Nasional leaders show that both parties are mature enough to let the controversy be settled once and for all by the court. What is important now is that all parties concerned should abide by the principle of the rule of law, and let justice prevail in the proceedings.