It’s the question on everybody’s mind. Why was Murray Hiebert jailed? The article he wrote on the merits of a court case involving a school debating team was so mild that it was astonishing that the court took it as contempt worthy of a custody sentence. In the words of appeal judge Denis Ong, Hiebert had DAMAGED AND RUINED THE COURT’S INTEGRITY and all for Hiebert writing that people were surprised why the case was settled so fast.
A court in a civilised democracy must be subject to scrutiny and reasonable criticism. Even in Malaysia, judgements have been commented and criticized before so it is still surprising that a mild statement of fact should have gotten the court in such outrage and caused it to send a person to jail. So the puzzling question again is why was Hiebert singled out for this rough treatment over a non-issue? Some may say that it is to send a signal to other journalists to toe the line, but you do not make an example out of a mild little article about a school debating team.
The real reason why Hiebert was jailed is far more sinister and ominous than what the Western press thinks. It shows up the deep corruption and the malignant cancer that has spread into the judiciary to paralyze its judgement and decision making. Because Hiebert was jailed due to the utmost corruption of the Chief Justice, Eusoff Chin.
It happened like this. Datin Chandra Ram, the mother who sued the school for dropping her son from the school debating team was incensed by the Hiebert article in FEER. The article did not defame the court, but by factually discussing aspects of her case, it made her look like a petty vindictive woman. Of course that’s what she is. But seeing red, she petitioned the court to cite Hiebert for contempt. Her husband, Sri Gopal Ram is an appeals court judge who is friendly with the Chief Justice, Eusoff Chin, a man so corrupted that no devil could ever ask for more. When Eusoff Chin wants a certain judgement, no judge dare oppose him unless he wants to be transferred out to a remote town to ruminate on his stagnant career. So corrupted is Eusoff Chin that he even runs an influence buying scheme through a law firm run by his wife where people can buy the "correct" judgement.
So the ball was set in motion. When it stopped rolling it would end up in the court of world opinion. No judge whether in judgement or in appeal dare throw out the case. Hiebert was jailed because of one vindictive woman and a corrupted judiciary which can no longer be relied on to give fair judgement.
So this is what our Malaysian judiciary has come to. How can this judiciary protect and safeguard our cherished institutions of democracy if it cannot resist the depredation of one man? Of course Mahathir had to defend the court’s judgement. Eusoff Chin’s power comes directly from him. Mahathir cherish and nurtures corrupted men because they serve him well. Against this source of evil and darkness there is not much that ordinary Malaysians can do except to use our votes wisely.
Suan