'If only she had been allowed to try Saiful's complaint against Anwar, the case would have been thrown out a long time ago.’
Interfaith council hails court's verdict
Md Imraz Muhammed Ikhbal: A beautifully written verdict by Sessions Court judge SM Komathy Suppiah. My utmost respect and admiration for her display of impeccable integrity, fairness and morality. It is now up to the infamous judges of the higher courts to follow likewise or to do completely otherwise.
Judges with integrity and competence like Komathy will never made Appeals or Supreme Court judge. Certainly not under the rule of a corrupt government as she is no asset to the powers-that-be, just a stumbling block.
Kgen: Judge Komathy is a fair judge. Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy case was heard by her until the attorney-general forcibly transferred the case to the High Court. If it is still under Komathy, his sodomy case would have been struck out long ago.
P Dev Anand Pillai: Too bad that judges like Komathy are not in the Federal Court. If only she had been allowed to try Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan's complaint against Anwar, it would have been thrown out a long time ago.
But we all know, it is the higher courts that matter. One is sure that these brothers will now appeal and be let off the hook as usual. It is so clear that we can see it coming.
Ksn: That is the message a court should send out to the fanatics but alas, judges such as Komathy are a rare breed in our judiciary. The reasoning in other very important cases cannot even stand the test of logic of ordinary citizens, let alone those well-versed in the laws. I am, of course, referring to the many judgments of the Appeals and Federal courts, which are too many to speak of. But that is another matter.
Was judge Komathy subtly being sarcastic when she said, “Don’t play with fire”? We all remember the fanatics from Umno using the same phrase at an Umno meeting up north a few days ago while bestowing a hero’s decoration on another fanatic.
I brought up the Appeals and Federal courts decisions because this judgment by Komathy is unlikely to be upheld. Let us wait and see.
Carl: Bravo to the judge. She is the future, and we look towards a good crop of judges who would mete out punishment where it is due. Five years imprisonment for the brothers, but she is being kind as I believe she has tempered her judgment with mercy.
Mangodurian: Forgive me for being cynical, but I guess they will not do the five years and even get away when this goes to the Appeals and/or Federal Court. Yes, that's how much faith we have in the courts these days.
Prevacator: "DPP Azlina Rasdi said the testimony by the brothers' friend that the two were burning a stack of rubbish when they burnt themselves was merely 'a creation' to save the two accused."
Shouldn’t the brothers' friend be prosecuted for giving false testimony? This kind of witness should not be tolerated and encouraged.
DOC: To the brothers who have been handed the five-year jail sentence, I would say, "Don't panic" because you were working under Umno's influence and Umno does not let the law interfere with the well-being of Umno cronies.
Maybe Umno did not intend for you boys to actually burn the church when PM Najib Razak and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said, "We can't stop people if they want to protest the Allah issue". Well stupidity is a common trait among Umno members, so this is expected.
Probably the attorney-general will get a stay order on the prison sentence till the appeal hearing, which will be after GE13. Once the Christians are appeased with this five-year jail sentence and all is forgotten, then the AG can come up with some reason to let you fellows off the hook.
You never know; a signed confession may pop up in the AG's pocket which he had forgotten about; indicating that maybe the opposition members forced the fellows "at gun point" to burn the church to get political mileage.
Anonymous: If only we had more judges like this, there might be hope for this country. Komathy sets a sterling example for other judges to emulate.
Multi Racial: I believe there are good judges in our judiciary system. Unfortunately, the many bad ones are those who get promoted and holding high position. If judges were to be guided by righteousness and the desire to ensure justice is served, it will be the first step to a lawful country.
To those judges who have been missed out on promotions just because they want to do the right thing, our prayers are with you. We are sure one day, your righteousness will be rewarded.
Gerard Samuel Vijayan: It’s best to remain cautious after the fiasco of the verdicts in the Shah Alam cow-head protest case. Anything can happen on appeal in this country where the judiciary seems to be permanently attached to the strings of the executive.
It cannot be denied that we have two sets of laws in this country, namely one for those who are connected to the BN/Umno government (who are invariably protected by the AG and the police) and one for the rest of us, ordinary and meek souls who are often disadvantaged and denied justice.
Noriha: This is encouraging news. I applaud the judge in this case for being impartial. Let's hope justice will continue to be blind.
Equinox: The burning of churches was symptomatic of the fanaticism spawned by an intolerant Umno-inspired community that sees evil in anything that is not part of their culture. If five years were to be taken out of the lives of these two young men, the minister responsible for banning the use of ‘Allah’ by the Christians should be directly responsible. There is a direct cause-and-effect link between the two.
There is an element of treason in making people all worked up to the point of becoming violent. This is why the law forbids people from making utterances that incite hatred. The burning of churches was a result of hatred, and the immediate cause preceding the burning was the ‘Allah’ issue, and the man who started the ‘Allah’ issue was none other than the then home minister (Syed Hamid Albar).
By not nipping the hysteria created by the minister in the bud, the Umno-led BN government is likewise responsible.
SayaAnakBangsaMalaysia: It is refreshing to see that judge Komathy Suppiah is one of the very few Malaysian judges who still remember and honour the high purpose of their office. Unfortunately, too many of her judicial colleagues have been corrupted and suborned by Umno, happily acting as janitors to help the party clean up its messes when these messes get to court.
Once this case goes to the notorious Court of Appeal, the sentence will be 'adjusted' to a fine of RM1,000 per person, the duo would be let off with a 'stern warning' and a suspended prison sentence.
On top of that, the Court of Appeal will order the Metro Tabernacle Church to pay costs of RM20,000 for 'inconveniencing' these Umno-endorsed spawn of the cow-head gangsters.
Nick C: Now the right thing to do is for the church to appeal to let the brothers go free. Or maybe just let them see the inside of a jail for one day. These brothers are not terrorists. They are simply misguided youth. Nothing will do more to convince them of their wrong and never to do it again than to show them mercy and compassion.
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