vox populi small thumbnail 'Ex-ACA chief Shafee should stand tall and proud for the clean and efficient legacy he left behind in his service to the country.’

When the ACA DG was persecuted for doing his job

Anonymous: The Malays should wake up from the curse of Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Ex-ACA chief Shafee Yahaya is one of his many true blue-blooded Malay victims. Honest civil servants are bullied and victimised when they refused to bend to Mahathir's commands. Yet there are plenty of blind followers still under his evil spell.

I hope those victims who are still alive will summon enough courage just like Khalsom Taib to tell the rakyat of their sufferings inflicted by Mahathir's strongarm tactics.

Nik V: Khalsom, we can only say we are proud of you and your husband for standing up for justice. It's in the power of people like you that there is hope for Malaysia and for all Malaysians. I pray and wish you all the best in this holy month of Ramadan.

KJ John: Datuk and datin, we are planning to use this book as compulsory reading for our Master's in Public Policy course at UCSI to be offered from next year. So do plan for more copies. Do not be too concerned: Truth also sells! Well done, and I am proud of your courage to tell your version of the truth. It is important for the younger generation to hear it. Truth matters!

Anonymous: Khalsom, I admire your courage to expose the true story on what had happened to you and your husband, Shafee Yahaya. It is important to disseminate to our children that 'dignity' of a person has no price, it cannot be measured by ringgit and sen.

It is for the same reason why the late information minister Tok Mat (Mohamed Rahmat) decided to write a book to tell his side of the story even he was in frail condition when writing the book.

I believe many in Umno and the civil service are facing such intimidation and those who had faced the same kind of injustices should come forward and speak out.

Alan Goh:

Tuan Shafee Yahaya and Puan Khalsom, please print another 500 to 1,000 paperback copies. I promise you the book will sell. For one, I will be looking for it at the Popular bookshop tomorrow.

If only Malaysia had more clean, principled civil servants like the former ACA DG Shafee Yahaya, the global corruption index of Malaysia would not have reached the low state it is today, as compared to the little red dot down south.

Shafee Yahaya should stand tall and proud for the clean and efficient legacy he left behind in his service to the country.

Moontime: I would like to purchase this book! From what I heard from friends connected to the powers-that-be, it is common for Umno politicians, especially ministers, to have wads of cash in their homes. Their excuse? It's easy to help those in need in their constituencies. Fine, I can accept that.

But what about the director-general (DG) of a powerful ministry? Lots of cash in his office. What's his excuse? Mahathir is hell bent on protecting (former Economic Planning Unit DG) Ali Abul Hassan to the extent of making life miserable for the former ACA chief.

There's only one way of getting the truth of what really happened 12 years ago - straight from the horse’s mouth.

Kingfisher: Hopefully more top civil servants during the Mahathir era will come forward to narrate their interpretation of experiences/ events that had influenced the nation and impacted the lives of many people. The personal legacies of prominent national leaders must, over time, be tested by an objective framework.

Friedice: Dr Mahathir Mohamad shall go down in the annals of history for having destroyed a lot of lives and was single-handedly responsible for the injustice suffered by many, many others. In his twilight years, he should reflect on his past misdeeds instead of trying to cause more mischief and malice.

Chang Peng Hoong:

Shafee is a true Malaysian hero. I must tell my children about this decent man. History will judge you kindly.

PAS leader calls for truce over hudud debate

John 8:32: At long last a voice of reason has spoken. Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has shown over the years that he is a statesman and not a mere lowdown politician. The trouble with Pakatan Rakyat leaders is that they have forgotten that they are now ruling four states.

It is time to show statesmanship rather than mere one-upmanship amongst its leaders. Grow up, DAP, PAS and PKR. May our Lord continue to protect all our leaders and give them wisdom in governing Malaysia.

Independent Malaysian: Dzulkefly Ahmad, are you calling Pakatan to sweep this issue under the carpet? As a responsible leader, it is time for Pakatan to solve this issue once and for all. Declare no to hudud now.

Gerard Samuel Vijayan: There is a difference between an Islamic state and an Islamic country or nation. The DAP is not opposed to the latter where Islam being the official religion of the federation is given a special position in the constitution and being the dominant religion in the country, it should be accorded due respect and prominence while the adherents of other faiths are allowed to practise their religions freely and openly.

An Islamic state, on the other hand, has yet to be properly, comprehensively and authoritatively defined even by Muslim scholars and religious teachers. Therein lies the problem. Certainly, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Sudan are not the best examples or even Afghanistan under the Taliban.

The hudud is a part of the syariah law and is only applicable to Muslims. Personally, since the Umno/BN government has accorded the syariah a status equal to the civil law or higher in some cases, why shouldn't Muslims be bound by the hudud, which is part of their personal law?

The above are a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only Malaysiakini subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .