A Banquet Awaits

COMING: sunday's inter:lude:

If there is one Chinese movie my EsteemedReaders must catch for the remaining quarter of 2006, please pay RM8 to pay for The Banquet. I went at the invite of eye-catching Zhang Ziyi last night, and before I accord it its proper 'rite/s this Sunday, I urge that you see the lavish offering before then. This notice is a sort of warning of Desi serving a Spoiler-starters before the "Yeh Yan" starts, and you don't want that, do you?


Back to home-grown entertainment:

From The Star Page N26, two related items reproduced in full so that my ER can make their own discerning assessments, maybe slightly influenced by Desi's views (which you can skip if you so choose-lah!:)

Wednesday September 27, 2006


Salleh reveals new facts

KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Salleh Abas has expressed his thanks to Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz for agreeing to a review of the 1988 Judicial Crisis should “new and important facts” emerge.

And to fulfil this condition set by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, the former Lord President issued a five-page statement yesterday, “touching on five incidents only in general terms”, which saw his dismissal and that of two other Supreme Court judges.

Among the five incidents were that he had been asked to step down by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad during a meeting on May 27, 1988 after being accused of being biased in the discharge of his judicial duties.


Salleh :‘I hope the truth will be uncovered’

Salleh claimed he had strongly denied the accusation and refused to resign but Dr Mahathir threatened to have him removed by instituting a tribunal under the Constitution.

During the 1988 Judicial Crisis, Salleh was sacked from his post as Lord President after a tribunal had tried him.

Another tribunal sacked Tan Sri Wan Sulaiman Pawanteh and Datuk George Seah, two of five Supreme Court judges who had ordered a halt to the proceedings against Salleh.

Salleh claimed a “very important officer of the Government” had also paid him a visit on the same day as the meeting.

He said the officer tried to persuade him to resign by promising him a lucrative job in Jeddah as a director of an Islamic bank with “a high salary I could never have dreamed of, coupled with unlimited entertainment and travelling allowances.”

Salleh said the officer, who told him he had been authorised to pass the message to him by a “very important minister”, also threatened him with dismissal and “the ignominy of having to face a tribunal” after he declined the offer.

Apart from the incidents mentioned in his statement, Salleh said there were also other incidents that would emerge if the review were held.

“I hope Nazri will present the proposal to the Cabinet for a review of the 1988 Judicial Crisis so that the truth of this important episode in our nation’s history is uncovered,” Salleh said.

~~~~~~~~


Dr M: I personally asked Salleh to resign

PUTRAJAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he had personally asked Tun Salleh Abas to resign from his post as Lord President in 1988 as he thought it was the best move.

He said Salleh had first agreed to step down but a few days later refused to do so, which prompted the Government to take the necessary action to remove him.

“He agreed first, then later on, I don’t know how many days later, he decided that he should not step down.

“Then of course the Government was forced to take action,” he said, adding that Salleh did not give reasons as to why he had decided against stepping down.

Dr Mahathir was responding to a statement by Salleh yesterday, where he claimed he was asked to resign by the former premier.

Salleh also claimed he was offered a high paying job as a director of an Islamic bank in Jeddah if he resigned.

When asked about the job offer, Dr Mahathir said since Salleh had refused to resign, it meant he did not want to take up the job.

When asked if there was indeed such a job offer, Dr Mahathir said he could not remember what he had exactly offered.

“I don’t remember exactly what I offered him but I did ask him to step down so as to prevent any scandal or necessity to take action (against him),” he said, adding that he later started the necessary process to remove Salleh as the Lord President.

“Removal of a judge requires a decision by his peers as required by the Constitution, so we have to abide by the Constitution.

“The Agong thought that it was just a matter of dismissal by me.

“I don’t have the power to dismiss anybody, any judge,” he said.

(Dr Mahathir, who is the new president of Perkim, was speaking to reporters here after breaking fast with Perkim members at the Perdana Leadership Foundation here yesterday.

At the event, 40 converts also received cash aid and goodies.)

DESIDERATA:

Yhe highlights (THUS BOLDED) are Desi's. Also, I bracketed the last two paras as they are not the subject of scrutiny in this POst, and I hope my ER will just focus of the issue of the former Lord Prsident Salleh's sacking.

This latest FACE-OFF again reprises the on-going Face-Off between the former PM and the current PM. The events are triggered by One Man's DESIRE TO MAINTAIN POWER at all costs according to his vantage point and according to his -- no one else's determination.

Now Justice must be done, and seen to be done if in the ongoing review and writing of the history of NegaraKu that we can detect any injsutices have been committed by any individual circumventing the country's law to perpetuate his DESIRE FOR POWER to be maintained at all cost.

Desi is a firm believer of justice, fair play and equal treatment of all Malaysians before the Law. I am also a Truth-seeker, like Tun Salleh Abas.
Ours is a country to be ruled by Law according to the Constitution and the laws enacted properly and constitutionally by The Parliament , NOT BY ANY INDIVIDUAL LEADER'S DECREE, be it the Minister, ordinary, or Prime, Past or present.

All God-fearing people should not be afraid of The Truth. If a Royal Commission has to be instituted to get to the bottom of the 1988 sacking of then Lord President Tun Salleh and two other senior judges, then let the Commission be set up as soon as possible. Pak Lah is urged by this humble citizen to lend a helping hand. Before any protagonists breath their last and not see the Truth before saying a GO o D bye, which will be a greater targedy, Yes?

In the final goodbye lies an all-seeing GOD. No man escapes this judgement. So we might as well get our earthly accounts closed before entering those gates of H'aven or H'll, No?