I was rather bemused by Shaik Daud Md. Ismail's criticism of the judiciary ([#1] M'sian judiciary: retired judge says he was embarrassed to be a member [/#], March 23). If Yang Amat Arif had given this tongue-lashing to the judiciary when he was in service in a press statement or as an aside in one of his many fine judgments (I mean, judges have never hesitated to bemoan the declining standards of the Bar), then perhaps his words would carry some force.

However, YAA's outburst only came after his retirement, when there were no more promotions in sight, when he was beholden to no one, and when he is no longer a judge and is in the company of lawyers. Perhaps it is cruelly unfair of me to say so but it would look like YAA is playing to the gallery.

YAA has also alluded to the misconduct that has been going round in the judiciary and being a senior judge, I think YAA would have intimate knowledge of the nonsense that goes around in the courts. Why not ventilate to the public about the rot in the judiciary? What has YAA done to stop the rot when he was in service? If he really cares and wants to do something about it, why doesn't he lodge a police report and maybe back it up with a Statutory Declaration? Tell us all about the cronyism that goes on in there, for the judiciary's sake!

But no, YAA is merely content to 'lambast' the judiciary by making vague allusions to impropriety, etc., and staying on the safe side of 'contempt' (as RK Nathan J knows it) or sedition, and happy to sit back and hoping against hope that the new Chief Judge will work everything out in his short term of two years.

Another one bites the dust.