VOXPOP ‘Because they are put in a position of power, they must serve the people with justice and peace.'

Manifestation of God: Any ruler, not royalty alone

Anak Bangsa Malaysia: This is typical of people using religion as a tool for political gains. In Islam, it is clearly stated that Allah is only one. Everyone else is inferior and are created by Allah. If that is so then no rulers/sultans/or anyone in power is "God's manifestation".

The ruler/sultan or anyone in power must first of all be servant to all. Power in this sense is service to mankind.

The PM or sultan or the king are subservient to this service for mankind. Because they are put in a position of power, they must serve the people with justice and peace.

Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria must not twist the hadith or the Quran. It is a grave shame for him to be used as a tool by Umno politicians and the like.

Former Selangor exco member Hasan Ali has to be condemned for this stance. Islam teaches us to be humble and forgiving. Hasan is far from it.

YF: Well said, former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin. From a biblical perspective, the God-ordained leaders does not apply to kings alone. And yes, these ordained leaders are fallible and they should not shun rebuke when they are unable to see the wrongs they have done.

Unfortunately, Harusani has a perverted view of God-ordained leaders that these people cannot be rebuked for being wrong. Is that how degraded Islam has become due to the likes of Harusani and Hasan Ali?

If such is Hasan Ali's definition, then he should uphold it since the ordained leaders in PAS have sacked him. So why is Hasan Ali not walking the talk here?

The obvious answer - Hasan abuses the Quran and Hadith for his own gain and discards the ‘ayat' (verses) that shames the likes of him.

Thisia: Please do not link religion with politicians or royalty. These days many of such leaders are involved in corruption, sex scandal, abuse of power and this list goes on.

How can you say that these people are the manifestation of God? These people are just ordinary human beings with a bit of luck.

KSD: In my humble opinion, rulers are manifestations of God when they do spiritual deeds and uplift the nobility of their subjects. Rulers who womanise, drink, cheat people and rob their subjects are manifestations of Satan.

I, of course, am making a general statement here and refer to no particular rulers.

Federal Court denies imam not given justice

Gerard Samuel Vijayan: The Federal Court may have followed the letter of the law, but was justice done?

Justice ought to be tempered with mercy. If the motion was out of time and the imam was representing himself, the court could have adjourned the motion to a later date and instructed the imam to file a motion for extension or abridgement of time.

As a lay person, the imam perhaps was not familiar with the 30-day time limit imposed by the rules.

The court should be more concerned about substance rather than procedural impediments given that it is the apex court and the imam's constitutional right to life, which includes livelihood as decided in a previous Federal Court decision, was affected by his alleged unlawful dismissal and eviction.

Nevertheless, the imam was wrong to have thrown his shoes at the bench, which is a grave contempt in the face of the court and he was lucky that the judges were magnanimous enough not to cite him for contempt and commit him to prison.

Lover Boy: If the imam was represented by lawyers and the motion was struck off because it was filed out of time, I can understand. This imam went to the Palace of Justice, but instead of getting justice, the Federal Court judges entertain a preliminary objection purely on technical grounds.

The law is clear but the question that begs to be asked is: Has the justice of the matter been served? Here is an unrepresented litigant whose application was thrown out for what? Technical reasons!

In this case, the judges could have looked at the matter in totality and allowed an extension of time. This is within their discretion, they have failed to exercise it.

Is this what you expect from the Palace of Justice where you cannot even get justice? They deserved the slipper attack.

Anonymous_3e21: I support the Federal Court statement: "The court views seriously any incident that may damage the integrity of the country's judiciary, either directly or indirectly, including making comments either directly or indirectly which may tarnish the credibility of the judiciary institution."

Nevertheless, it is a known fact that the public's perception of the judiciary is at an all-time low and this shoe-throwing incident will only mark another black day for the judiciary.

So let us move on and bring back the glory days of judiciary when all judges are respected not only by Malaysians but throughout the whole world.

While the judges view seriously actions that can tarnish the judiciary, they must also view seriously at their own conduct that can cause the rakyat to lose faith in them.

20121221Disaster: You know, I know, everybody knows - many had experienced injustice in our courts before, including myself. Talk is cheap. Facts are everywhere. So there is no point arguing.

A fact remain a fact. Anything But Umno (ABU) will be the answer.

Abasir: Palace of Justice? Now, that's not just an ordinary exaggeration. It is wonderfully palatial.

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