Let me share my thoughts on the letter sent by the Election Commission to the Keadilan trio "declaring" their disqualification even before they file their nomination papers.

First of all, it is unprecedented for the Election Commission to issue such a declaration, which the court - although not accepting the application of the trio on the grounds of prematurity - has in effect poured scorn upon it. Like it or not, this episode has tainted the neutrality of the Election Commission, and it behooves it now to immediately retract the declaration in the spirit of the ruling of the court.

In 1975-1976 as a result of the conviction of Fan Yew Teng, the MP for Menglembu, for sedition, the Election Commission declared the Menglembu seat vacant, although a stay was granted by the High Court pending an appeal to the Federal Court (at that time there was no Court of Appeal).

Although the Election Commission proceeded with the by-election, an application was made to the High Court to declare it null and void. At the eleventh hour of the campaigning, the High Court declared the EC's action illegal and stopped the by-election in its tracks.

The court was in effect holding that until Fan Yew Teng had exhausted his rights of appeal, which includes the right of an application for a pardon, he was not disqualified as an MP and no by-election could be held.

Incidentally, that was the only by-election in Malaysian history when BN did not put a candidate against the opposition. No mere coincidence, obviously, they had been advised privately that the EC's election writ was illegal.

I was the candidate put up to defend Fan Yew Teng's seat. In the end, principles cannot be substituted by expediency, and history will deliver its damning verdict!