By : NORAMTAZ ABDULLAH, Petaling Jaya
TUN Dr Mahathir Mohamad, during a recent talk to Malaysian students at the University of Manchester, chose to speak out again on the sacking of the lord president and six senior judges in 1988 ("Dr M questions need to pay judges in 1988 crisis" - NST, April 21).
His statement came shortly after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi acknowledged publicly, after almost two decades, that what had happened then was wrong and it was only proper to correct and put it right.
We thought what the prime minister did had put the issue to rest. But Dr Mahathir chose to revisit the subject.
The fact is the entire 1988 judges episode had been politically motivated. The rakyat knew the score all along, so did Umno.
I believe if a national referendum was carried out today asking if Dr Mahathir was responsible for this debacle, the majority would say "yes".
Similarly, if we asked the people who were responsible for the erosion of public confidence in our judiciary since 1988, the answer would be "Dr Mahathir" as well.
Of course, he will blame the judges and vehemently deny having any influence in the appointment of judges. It is a win-win situation for him but let history judge him.
Source:NST
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