Let us ask this question. Whose fault is it that the exam paper leaked? Not the honest students. Why did the qualifying board choose an easy way out by penalising the students instead of blaming itself? Although it may claim that only one or two staff are involved, this is a question of collective responsibility that it should not try to avoid.

Why must students be penalised in order to safeguard the board's integrity, credibility and reputation? If its reputation is tarnished then it deserves it. Students should not be made scapegoats to save the board's skin.

If students were made to sit for the exam again, how can they be sure that the next exam will be conducted in a fair manner if all the same people are still sitting in the qualifying board?

Since the leak is the fault of the Legal Profession Qualifying Board, its credibility, integrity and reputation are suspect. Therefore, it is not fit to make any decision to nullify the exam. Any decision should come from an independent court who does not have any conflicting interest in this matter.

The decision to have the exam all over again is tantamount to malicious accusation that the students who have passed the exam have obtained the leaked paper and therefore they must be punished by having to re-sit the exam.

Does the board have any proof? How will it feel if we ask everyone in the board to resign because the paper is leaked?

We will not do that because we do not have any proof of who exactly is involved. We believe that the board members should be given the benefit of the doubt and it is better to acquit the guilty than to convict the innocent. Likewise, the qualifying board should not ask those who have passed to sit the exam all over again because it does not have any proof that the honest students are involved. The board's decision has gone against all the rights that are enshrined in our Constitution.

The exam was conducted in July. Why does the board only decide to nullify the whole exam now? Does it have evidence that the main exam in July was leaked? It only started to investigate after one supplementary question paper was sent to a newspaper two days before the October exam. Why didn't it change the question paper for the supplementary exam if it knew of the leak two days before the exam? If there was evidence that the main exam in July was leaked, why didn't the board take action before the July exam or before the July's result was announced in September?

There should not be a re-sit at all and the decision should not have retrospective effect. Who will be responsible if a student who has passed the exam committed suicide when he/she failed in the re-sit?

The argument that if you know your stuff, you will pass the re-sit is irrelevant. Anyone who is well versed in the art of examination knows that knowledge and hard work are insufficient. It's a combination of knowledge, hard work, passion, confidence, motivation, inspiration and other sentiments.

Students who have passed in the first sitting will be under tremendous pressure. They will be disheartened, frustrated and aggrieved. There will certainly be detrimental emotional effects. Their state of mind will never be the same as when they took the exam in July. On the other hand, those students who have failed shouldn't be given a second chance because they have failed even if they did obtain any leaked paper.

A re-sit will only give an opportunity for those failed students to snub their nose at the system and mock the honest hardworking students. Surely there must be equity for those honest students who have passed, unless justice is blind here.