I nearly fell off my chair when I read Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz's justification as to why jury trials should not be reintroduced in Malaysia. According to him, 'Because jurors are ordinary people, they are not free from bias and racism'.

But honestly, need we worry? If we should suspect a juror of being racist we can simply let Nazri loose on the fellow. After all, Nazri seems very capable of identifying a racist, having in the past screamed 'racist' at a fellow parliamentarian a record 28 times in the span of a few minutes.

Another of his concerns is that: 'Jury members are also human and could be bribed to sway a decision'.

Is he admitting that judges and ministers too could be bribed to sway a decision? Or is he instead suggesting that judges and ministers are inhuman?

First this self-professed 'political master' proposed a Department of Parliament which was seen by many as a surreptitious attempt to impinge on legislative independence. Now this same officer of the executive wants to very blatantly influence the judicial process?

The attorney-general, who has suggested a return of jury trials, has to my mind made a good recommendation. It should not simply be swept aside due to the nonsensical comments by an attention-seeking politician.

Is no arm of government safe from political opportunism?