YOURSAY | ‘The problem in our nation is that BN will never admit its mistakes.’

No one's above the law, Amanah says on 'royal logging'

OMG!: The constitution is the supreme law of the land. That's why they amended it about 600 times, according to eminent law professor Shad Saleem Faruqi.

But instead of looking at the constitution, compare the environment, then and now. In 1957, the No 1 issue threatening world peace was communism and the Cold War.

The Chinese government supported the Communist Party of Malaya. Malaya produced only commodities and our fortunes rose and fell with world prices for our raw products. Malayans were still studying in English in schools.

Today, all learn in Malay, the economy is well-diversified and China is our biggest trading partner, friend and a world power. But we still have exceptionalism and preferences for the majority 67 percent of the population, even if they were billionaires.

Some say this is wrong. We employ armies of religious apparatchiks to police couples holding hands or spending time together, or bibles with ‘offensive’ words. This creates tension. Do we need changes, badly? Or is RM2.6 billion enough?

Malaysia is a success story built on contradictions. It doesn't have to make sense, dude. Not making sense is not the same as nonsense, get it? Thus, races A and B have to study the lingo of race C so that we will have ‘greater’ unity.

Meanwhile, multi-millions are spent importing native English teachers to teach the offspring of race C how to speak like little English boys and girls and laws persist that discriminate between A, B and C. We're so ‘united’ now.

In comparison, in the US a president with US$2.6 billion in his Citibank account will depart pretty damn quick and he will not say, "It's okay, guys. Just a donation from the Vatican for helping churches here and anyway, I've returned most of it, you see."

If he did, the media and TV talk shows will roll on the floor laughing (ROTFL) and roast him until he flees.

One fine day they will even discover anti-gravity in Malaysia and how to turn water into wine (without any divinity needed). Just give our charlatans enough time.

Mechi: Fundamentally, this is a Umno-BN problem. They created it and now they are shirking from solving it. The problem in our nation is that BN will never admit its mistakes and instead take the rakyat for a spin using their controlled media.

Be bold and admit your broken policies; Singapore does that. There is no transparency in issuing of logging licences as Umno members allegedly enjoy the big ‘dedak’, too.

Worldly Wise: Although sovereigns enjoy immunity from prosecution, they are not above the law. They should always obey the law. If they do not, they are aware that the people are also sovereign in a democracy.

The Analyser: Who says that all Malaysians "uphold the position of constitutional monarchy"? The Malaysian constitution is in desperate need of a full review (a fact that none of the opposition parties have thought worth considering).

This is in light of the fact that most governments ignore the constitution if it suits them, or use the constitution to support their behaviour.

Islam apparently has let-out clauses for every rule, thus the constitution should not be interpreted in the light of an Islamic mentality. The constitution should be a document that is fixed and inflexible unless changed by the majority of Malaysian - not simply by a majority of Parliament.

Fair Play: The Analyser, once is a while you post a comment with such clarity that all right-thinking Malaysians and others resonate well with you.

But we have to admit that when we live in the Land of Endless Possibilities, endless possibilities are the possibilities for those in power.

Four UM students seek declaration suspension unconstitutional

Kim Quek: This is a right move taken by the students. Just like any citizen, students too are entitled to enjoy all the rights enshrined in Part Two (Fundamental Liberties) of the Federal Constitution, which among others include equality, freedom of movement, speech, assembly and association.

And since the federal constitution is the supreme law and overrides all other laws. All laws (including the Universities and University Colleges Act, or UUCA) and regulations (including all university regulations) that are in inconsistent with the constitution are void (Article 4).

It is heartening to see our students, who have been cowed by the UUCA and other repressive measures of the incumbent power for decades, have finally found the courage to defend their long-deprived constitutional rights, and stand up and fight against injustice and high corruption, which if prolonged will ruin our country.

It is hoped that the courageous action of these Universiti Malaya (UM) student leaders will catalyse the political awakening of our students and contribute significantly towards the much-needed sweeping reforms of the country.

The Analyser: In the absence of any overall plan to unseat the government, some people are prepared to sacrifice individuals to their delusional obsessions with nit-picking.

In this discipline-obsessed society, Anis Syafiqah Md Yusof et al have got off relatively lightly for their indiscretions. But this attempt to push their case using political money is potentially very destructive to their careers.

Jaguh: The Analyser, you have no idea about fighting corruption and racialism in this country and you are the type who will sit back and criticise everything, including your mother's hairdo.

These students will grow up to be our future leaders and the opposition in particular will ensure they complete their courses. If UM suspends or expels them, they will be placed in other higher institutions.

They are not exploited but instead have their own opinions.

Anonymous 2413381470634342: It's nice to have students who can think wisely for the future generations, not being robotic in thinking like the cabinet ministers who allegedly support corruption and money-laundering.

We support your action, take them to court and educate them not to punish students for their ability to think.

Dizzer: Freedoms cannot be given, they can only be taken. Good luck to these youngsters.


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