It is with great trepidation I read the call by the Malaysian Bar, credited with 11,000 members, for the setting up of a commission to investigate and report its findings on the recent general election debacle.

But have we forgotten that not long ago, this same custodian of the law failed the Malaysian public miserably on the issue of the inappropriate appointment of Hamid Omar to the Malaysian judiciary in place of the unceremoniously sacked Salleh Abbas?

The Bar passed a resolution to not appear before Hamid Omar. If its 11,000 members were to have abided by their own resolution, we could today be having the privilege of an independent judiciary.

But no, the 11,000 members were not a party to the resolution except for Raja Aziz Addruse, who had stood by the decision. One man, what happened to the rest of the10,999 members?

I am of the view that the Bar has lost its credibility in the eyes of ordinary Malaysians (like me) to call for anything at all. Instead, the Bar should rectify its marred image by salvaging some form of semblance of an independent judiciary.

It may sound like a tall order but it is the trying that matters. Is the Malaysian Bar made of sterner stuff and able to do its rightful duty? If not, best for it to just keep quiet and look after the interests of its members so that they are better placed to make more money. That seems to be the most important criteria for good lawyers nowadays.