YOURSAY ‘How can such a racist and ultra-conservative man be selected as CJ?’

Ex-CJ: Liberal judges threaten our values

Turvy: What is scary is not what former chief justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad is saying now but the extent to which such flawed logic may have been the basis of his decisions when he was a judge in our courts.

If he was educated as a lawyer in the common law tradition, he should have been instructed on the method and logic of the law, and if competent in this area, Hamid should have been able to extend what he believed through the legal process.

But I suspect that he was not up to changing, or even modifying such law, as found in the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in the 1988 Che Omar Che Soh case.

If he did not feel comfortable with the common law, Hamid should never have taken the position of judge and the oath that goes with it, but instead should have applied to become a judge of the syariah court.

Judges appointed to our civil courts, not for ability or conviction but as a promotional step in a bureaucratic process, do great harm to our judicial process and its development because they fail to grasp the profound responsibility that is attached to the position of a judge.

Shanandoah: Indeed, this ex-CJ shows how stupid it has been promoting members of mostly one community to the higher ranks of the judiciary, the civil service and the education sector in the country.

Talibanism is taking shape. Soon it will be forced down our throats. This ex-CJ alone proves how damaging it is to have only one race in all the higher echelons of our society.

Just look at the Federal Court and the Court of Appeals and the judgments emanating from their esteemed perches in society.

Then look at the heads of schools and see the suffering of the non-Malay/Muslims under their charge. Also don't forget the GLCs (government-linked companies).

Oh Ya?: Ex-CJ Hamid should know very well that ‘kangkung’ land is still a secular state and that it is still subscribing to the common law jurisprudence.

Unless this is changed, any law can be challenged, what more religious beliefs? And he should know very well that ‘kangkung’ land is not made up of only one species like him - orthodox and ultra conservative.

Others may not share the same values as Hamid. And society's value will evolve over time. He may be surprised that he and his kind may be a dying species, even in today's ‘kangkung’ land.

He may be entitled to his views, but don't try to forcibly impose it on others.

Swipenter: What nonsense is this ex-CJ spouting? Indeed, for those who cannot agree with common law, why be judges or lawyers when our legal system is based on it?

They should all resign as judges. They should then study to be become judges where the legal system is based on Islamic or syariah laws. What a hypocrite of an ex-CJ.

RR: Basic human values are universal and are ingrained in all religions, like truth, righteousness, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, etc, but the rigidity in Islam does not move with time and that is why we need moderate Islamic leaders.

Failing this, we cannot see peace and harmony in the world as what IS (Islamic State) is doing now by ruthlessly killing young and old Muslims and non-Muslims alike for not following its version of Islam.

Anticonmen: Values of human rights and equality of all citizens are universal and the same, between Malaysia's 1957 constitution and the British and American constitutions.

Don't twist these basic values by talking about Islamic values to cheat citizens and make one race more equal than the others, in order to justify abuse and looting.

All men (and women) are born equal and all must have the same human rights.

AJ: Hamid, this is why your education sponsored by the people and your employment as CJ are both a sad mistake. You may be fit to be a syariah lawyer, but not in a court of law that dispenses justice to all.

If perhaps your qualification or appointment was merit-based, I am sure you would not even qualify to be a fisherman.

Anonymous$&@?: How such a racist and ultra-conservative man was able to be selected as a CJ in a democratic country blows my mind.

The Bar Council should propose that the selection process of persons to be chosen for the CJ position must be reviewed and be thoroughly racist-proof to prevent such gross mistakes from being repeated in the future.

Out of Time: Now I know why Malaysian judges are going down the drain.

It is because of the chief justice who couldn’t act professionally and insist on imposing his personal views and biases into the system.

It is my opinion that this man should have never been a judge, much less the chief justice. He should just stick in the syariah courts and not be let out to mix with the public.

I pity his family who has to live with such a man.

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