vox populi big thumbnail 'Abdul Razak Baginda being freed by the courts is a fitting end to the misrule of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and a perfect summary statement of his years in office.'

Taneug:

In a sense the acquittal is a fitting end to the misrule of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and a perfect summary statement of his years in office.

A person who tried to do good (hence, the trial) but defeated by forces beyond his control (the inept prosecution).

The judge rightly says that ‘there is no prima facie case....'.

Many people would say: I find there is ‘There is no desire of the prosecution to establish a prima facie case...'

Reasonable Man: Justice not only must be done but must be seen to be done. In Altantuya's case, that has not been exhibited. This is the reasonable man's view.

Rost:

Yes. We are disappointed and frustrated to see Abdul Razak Baginda acquitted. We will wait to see what will the AG's office do. Will they appeal?

Furthermore, the other two police officers will enter their defence and testify under oath on Nov 10. Let us wait to see what they have to say.

Ohan Baba:

The acquittal of Razak Baginda has proven Najib's SMS response to Shafee Abdullah that ‘all is not lost' to be correct, correct, correct!

Now with the continued disappearance of PI P Balasubramaniam - especially when he implicated Najib in his first SD - Najib has got a lot to answer.

It now appears that this case will be closed to hide all the remaining skeletons with only ‘light' sentences meted to the other two accused, the police inspector and corporal.

The big loser in this sordid scandal is Altantuya's father Setev Shaariibuu, and we hope that he will come up with fresh evidence to ensure that the ‘real culprits' do not escape justice.

Setev Shaariibuu cannot expect to get justice from the Malaysian courts, going by the verdict to acquit Razak Baginda.

He has now to make use of his Mongolian government to approach the UN and other external bodies to get to the bottom of this whole cover-up

On Altantuya-Najib allegations resurface

Lau Sue Chau: Seeing the number of presidency nominations Najib Abdul Razak received from Umno branches throughout Malaysia - which eventually guaranteed him to be the premier of Malaysia - frightens many a Malaysian.

In many countries around the world, a leader who is shrouded in controversy and suspicion would have been forced to step down from office.

Look at the example of the former Thai premier. Will this take place in Malaysia?

I do not think so because the ISA is a powerful tool to be used at the whim of rotten leader sto cart away any impending opposition.

Moreover, the legal system and the police force are all lopsided towards draconian leaders.

What have in store for Malaysia in 2009 will be most unimaginable. A nation run by a ‘un-convicted criminals' and their brood of vipers.

This God-blessed country will sink like the Titanic in the hands of these evil and wicked leaders.

At this juncture, no one can save us from further entrapment in racial politics, economic woes, criminal misgivings, judicial partiality except the Almighty God.

On Zaid: Ketuanan Melayu has failed

Colorblind:

Dear Datuk Zaid, I am truly moved to write this letter after reading your speech. It is people like you that give us, the common folk of Malaysia, a semblance of hope. A hope for a new Malaysia.

You may be just the type of leader Malaysia needs. I never knew what the words Ketuanan Melayu meant until recently.

To me, I have been living peacefully amongst my fellow Malaysians of all races all my life and none of my many Malay friends ever demonstrated such values.

My recent experience while studying for my MBA degree with my comrades of multiple races convinced me ever more that what you say is all true.

My classmates fought hand-in-hand so that we could graduate together. The sense of togetherness and the strength that we got out of it was incredible.

As the ‘class monitor', I shall celebrate our success with pride and remember that our glory was achieved through team work. Our work would have be meaningless if any of us had failed.

From the start, our aim was that no one was to be left behind. We made sure of that by rallying and supporting those who needed assistance. This spirit is really the truly Malaysian way.

True, Malaysians are not bothered about what the political community calls Ketuanan Melayu .

We are a race who wants progress and to progress together. My multiracial course-mates demonstrated that by forsaking our weekends to go to back to school in the hope for a better future.

All we ask for are leaders who are truly have the best intentions for our nation. The time of 'divide-and-conquer' is at its end.

I see more and more color-blind individuals amongst us now. You sir, are one of us. I can sense your vision. For the sake of our young ones, deliver us to glory.

In a globalised world, the real competition is out there, not amongst us. Please sir, show us the way.

Menon Sukumaran: Is Umno so blind to see the facts? Why is Zaid not given a chance to stand for the premiership? We need an educated and non-biased man to lead the country in this new millennium.

There is no other Umno politician who qualifies without any personal hidden agenda. Are the people in Umno so blind to know what is good for the future of this country and the future of their offspring?

Straight-thinking people will act with conscience.

Siew C Wah: The above report really hits the nail on the head, driving home the point that the current rank-and-file of Umno is still in denial.

It is a sad thing that Zaid Ibrahim chose to resign from his post in the government to give his comments. He should have stayed on and instituted reforms from within.

The Umno leadership wouldn't give a damn about his comments as they are jostling for power to safeguard their self interests.

The rakyat must remain resolute in voting Pakatan Rakyat into power in the next election.

Lam Chun Chang:

Well, Zaid has got his points to a certain extent, however, do not downplay the Mahathirism effect.

Do not forget that the prime minister is an institution and not the person alone. Like Tun in those days and Pak Lah now, they do what they must, not what they want.

Decisions are sometimes made by PM's Department and not the PM alone. Measuring and comparing leadership qualities can be quite subjective.

It's difficult to be the PM of Malaysia. Everybody thinks that it is about power supremacy but it's not. Making comments is easier then moving into action.

Well, Najib, I hope you perform better. Don't be the PM and later the opposition leader next. God bless you.

On PKNS - 'Get the best person for the job'

Leekh: A non-Malay - even though he is more qualified or more capable cannot

Be - the head prefect of a national school

Be - nominated as the best of the best in the school

Be - the head of department in a ministry

Be - the secretary-general or deputy secretary-general of a ministry

Be - the IGP of the country

Be - the head of any branch of the armed forces in the country

Be - the head of state of the states with no rulers

Be - the deputy PM of the country

Be - the prime minister of the country

What is worse is that the PM goes around telling people, repeating a lie, by saying that:

‘We don't practice racial-discrimination' in our country'! Did the Chinese (MCA) and Indian (MIC) leaders agree to this in1957?

Did the people in Sabah and Sarawak agree to this in 1963? I am leaving.....

On Gov't cuts petrol, diesel prices by another 15 sen

Weng Hon: I am writing to plead to the relevant authorities and bus companies to look into reducing or removing the 30% surcharge imposed during the Hari Raya period as it was promised that this extra surcharge would be lifted after the festive period, ie, after Oct 15.

The surcharge has greatly burdened us especially for those of us who often travel through buses.

The petrol price has gone down for the fourth time since August.

We hope the authorities and the bus companies will keep their promise to remove the surcharge as soon as possible.

John Johnson: Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Samad said that he has no control over aviation gas. Why is the aviation sector and flying schools buying aviation gas from Singapore and Thailand.where it is cheaper? Something must be wrong here.

When a minister says this, then what actually are his powers? This ‘ tidak berkenaan dengan saya' attitude should stop.

All loopholes should be plugged by the law so as the prices of natural resources and consumer items are regulated. This is blatant profiteering by big conglomerates and companies at the expense of the travelling public.

It is no wonder there are no passengers flying today. Wake up sir and make a change here.

On Soi Lek's comeback 'too soon' after sex scandal?

Takeda Shingen:

I think that judging Soi Lek's ability to perform his job with the issue of the morality of him having an extra-marital affair is like comparing apples to oranges.

Firstly, if Soi Lek was a Muslim, he could have taken his mistress on as a second wife and this affair would be a moot point.

It is only because non-Muslims are lumped into the 'Christian' view of one life partner that we find him immoral. Look at the Mosuo women in China who practice polygamy with multiple husbands.

Is this wrong? If a man/woman has all the means to looks after multiple partners fairly, why can't his/her actions be deemed 'moral'?

The question that should be asked here is, 'will this extra-marital affair effects his ability to do his job?'

John F Kennedy was famously rumoured to have had an affair with Marilyn Monroe. The FBI produced evidence of Dr Martin Luther King having a mistress.

John Edwards was recently thrown into scandal over the ‘love child ‘from his affair.

But did these instances stop them from achieving the righteous goals they strived to obtain?

John McCain himself had an affair which led to him divorcing his first wife. Yet people still believe in his leadership abilities.

In Korea, there are laws that passed out prison time for adultery. These laws have been objected to because it infringes on our freedom.

The reason Chua Soi Lek was voted back was because, until the infamous video was leaked people, people still believed he did his job well and that he is also a victim of a political assassination.

What you do in private, so long as you do not violate anyone's freedom, is your own business. And as long as your private life is separate from your work, it should not be used as a tool to judge you at your job.

On Dengue still a threat despite campaigns

Joeawk: Dengue, dengue, when will it ever end? I have read about it so very often and I feel very sad when there is casualty.

I hope that I am wrong but many people said that there is still no cure for dengue. If that is so, why should there be some casualties while the rest have recovered?

I have a solution that kills malaria pathogens in four good hours. This solution kills all types of pathogens and I have been taking this solution and it certainly has proven to be good for me.

I believe that this solution should be useful for dengue as well as other diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease, bird flu, hepatitis, HIV and even cancer but how do I know when I have no way of testing it.

Besides, I am not a doctor or anything like that. Anyone interested?