Firstly, the aftermath of the suspension of the Lord President, Salleh Abas, unfortunately prevented the learned judge from being the first LP to preside over a historic coram of nine judges of the Supreme Court to hear the long-awaited Umno 11 appeal.

Indirectly, the full bench of the Supreme Court was stopped from hearing and determining the validity and legality of the controversial 1987 Umno presidential election. The outcome of that decision would have decided who would have become the legitimate Prime Minister of Malaysia.

By convention, the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong would invite the president of Umno to form the executive branch of the government. It is therefore clear to every member of Umno that in order to be eligible to be Prime Minister of Malaysia, he had to be legitimately elected the president of the party.

Following the suspension of the LP, the Umno 11 appeal was subsequently heard and disposed of by another panel of the Supreme Court consisting of both Supreme Court and High Court judges and presided over by Hamid Omar. The panel of judges comprised Hamid (acting LP and chairman of the first tribunal set up to investigate the charges against Salleh); Lee Hun Hoe; Hashim Yeop Sani; Mohamad Yusof and Gunn Chit Tuan.