Ex-Court of Appeal judge: I would rank Karpal the best lawyer in the country

'Speaking at a memorial service for Karpal in Petaling Jaya, Datuk Mahadev Shankar remembered how the fiery lawyer was popular with the judges, all of whom held him in high esteem.

“After I became a judge, I had the opportunity to watch Karpal in action, and I found that he was the best lawyer who ever appeared before me.

“I would rank him the best lawyer in the country,” Mahadev told some 100 people at the memorial organised by Karpal’s former schoolmates from SMK La Salle and St. Xavier’s Institution.'

'“He never wasted the court’s time. When he came into court, he went straight for the jugular, without mincing his words.

“More often than not, I agreed with him. Other times, I did not, and I judged against him.

“But this was the opinion of all the judges that time: we put him as number one. When we heard he was coming to court that day, we immediately got a lift,” said the former judge.

Mahadev described every moment of Karpal in court as memorable, stressing that it was impossible to choose one example to illustrate the late veteran lawyer’s prowess.'

'Mahadev said the last time he presided over a case in which Karpal appeared was at the VK Lingam inquiry, where Karpal made a “very forceful submission” to have one of the judges recused.

“Again, it was one of his best moments, although at the time he was in a wheelchair.

“However, when he starts talking, you don’t see the chair; you see a force coming out from that personality with all its logic and common sense and eloquence,” he said.

Mahadev added that he counted himself lucky for not ever having to face Karpal in court as a lawyer.

Recalling the impression Karpal made in the courts after graduating from university, Mahadev said: “In 1969 or 1970, when Karpal had just got out of university, I was regarded as a hotshot lawyer among my peers.

“One day a friend called me and said: ‘You’d better come to court and listen to Karpal, because I think he is much better than you’,” chuckled Mahadev.'

http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2014/05/03/karpal-thrilled-us-with-his-delivery-in-court-former-judge-recalls/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+limkitsiang%2Frss+%28Lim+Kit+Siang%29
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A bit on car parking charges and people's reluctance to pay

Parking charges can be an important factor for most people, rich or poor, judging by the marque of cars seen double-parked, or parked in places very obviously to avoid paying them.

Supermarkets wise to such consumers' preference, like Tesco or Aeon, would try their best to provide free parking spaces (usually in smaller towns) or charge nominal fees to attract shoppers. Some shoppers get free parking for limited hour(s) if they bought a certain minimum sum.

In smaller towns like Batu Gajah, where there are parking spaces provided which incur charges by way of coupons, motorists would avoid them wherever possible, even though it costs only 30 sen per half hour! For those who parked without displaying coupon, they are fined at least Rm10. But still, regular motorists (especially shopkeepers or stall operators) are likely to play cat and mouse with the enforcement officers.  Some officers who know them allow them chance to display after their arrival.
But the point is that though the amount is small (compared with those charges in KL or PJ), it is amazing how people can afford expensive cars but are unwilling to pay parking charges. In Klang valley, most motorists would consider themselves lucky to find a proper parking space (almost like striking a lottery) and more than willing to pay the charges. It is a case of when we are forced to, we would be willing to pay, especially when we are in the company of friends. Surely, we do not want to appear calculative over small amount when we are prepared to treat them proper meals.

While the alternative of paying expensive parking rates in KL or PJ is to call a taxi or use the LRT/Monorail/Kommuter, how we wish it is as simple as comparing the amounts to be spent on train or taxi fares and using own car and paying parking charges. A friend who spent a couple of days in his daughter's house in Putra Heights, found to his dismay, the difficulty in calling for a taxi when he was in Paradigm Mall, off LDP. When found one, it costed him almost Rm30 to get home! There was no alternative public transport for the route. I suppose when the LRT station in Putra Heights is ready, it would be most welcome.

Anyway, Joshua Ong had done a wonderful survey and comparison on expensive parking charges in central KL...

https://my.news.yahoo.com/most-expensive-mall-parking-rates-klang-valley-025122221.html
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Tony Pua's open letter to President Obama

Excerpt:

'It is only through the continued political efforts of the African-American civil rights movements in the 1950s and 1960s, culminating in the Civil Rights Act (1964), which outlawed discrimination, based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, in workplaces and by facilities that served the general public.

Four decades later, the world witnessed the inauguration of the first African-American president of the United States.

We were inspired, and we celebrated because in Malaysia, we face very similar challenges, challenges which we are still struggling to overcome.'

'We hope, Mr President, you will carry on the legacy of one of the world’s best loved civil rights activist, Dr Martin Luther King, who believed in non-violent civil disobedience.

You have rightly honoured his achievements in your speech celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dr King’s famous speech in November last year.  You told us:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

"…We rightly and best remember Dr King's soaring oratory that day, how he gave mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions, how he offered a salvation path for oppressed and oppressors alike. His words belong to the ages, possessing a power and prophecy unmatched in our time.

"…and because they kept marching, America changed. Because they marched, the civil rights law was passed. Because they marched, the voting rights law was signed. Because they marched, doors of opportunity and education swung open so their daughters and sons could finally imagine a life for themselves beyond washing somebody else's laundry or shining somebody else's shoes. Because they marched, city councils changed and state legislatures changed and Congress changed and, yes, eventually the White House changed.  Because they marched, America became more free and more fair…"

We Malaysians hope that you, Mr President will share your dreams with Malaysians and the rest of the world, just as Dr King did so with Americans, in that “soaring oratory”, where he said:

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.' I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."

Mr President, Malaysians have a dream too, and we hope, from the bottom of our hearts, you will share our dreams.'

Rest of his letter:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/open-letter-to-the-president-of-the-united-states-tony-pua

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Chang Ta Kwok: Keep public land for public use

I would certainly support this particular suggestion of his:

'...any excess land cannot be converted to other use should be returned to the party that had surrendered the land in the first place. This would discourage utility companies from demanding excessive land. If the excess land had to be reverted to the original landowner, there is no avenue for any politically-linked party to apply for such land either. To me this is fair play and would automatically stop abuse.'

Excerpt of his letter to The Sun:

'I REFER to "The challenge of integrity" (Citizen Nades, April 23) and the response from Lum Weng Keong.

I am a small developer who has been in the industry for a long time. In the 1970s, developers had to surrender about 40% of their land for public and utility usage. By the 1990s, developers would have been lucky if they had to surrender less than 60% .

This hike in percentage is one major reason, among many others, that cause property prices to rise.

The underlying problem about surrendering land is that it leads to increasing demand for bigger plots and more land by the approving authorities and utility companies. Why? Because it is free.

The game is for utility companies to demand free land in excess of their needs so that they may then either sell or go into JV (joint ventures) to develop such land. The politically connected then jump onto this gravy-train and apply for land surrendered for public use, from open space, school land, suraus, kindergartens, land for food courts, river reserves, fire stations and police stations.'

Rest of his letter:

http://www.thesundaily.my/node/250294

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Yeo Bee Yin: 5 mistakes Khairy made on the Selangor water crisis

Only 5? I know of a sixth one! This reminds me of a menu in a Chinese restaurant in Leeds, which mentioned '3 ways to a duck' and a British colleague joked that he knows a 'fourth way'!

Anyway, the irony of the 2-day rotation of water rationing in some areas of Selangor and KL seems to be 'Water water everywhere, not a drop to spare'. It had been raining 'cats and dogs' almost every evening and we can imagine how frustrated those affected feel about the whole situation. We happened to be in PJ one weekend and on the day we were supposed to get water, not a drop for the whole day! Later in the evening, a teacher living opposite said there was a burst pipe as a result of earthworks presumably related to the MRT construction. There had been reports of numerous such mistakes on underground pipes and cables by them before.

As usual, ministers can make statements which are widely reported or aired on national radio and television channels but any good rebuttal will not get published in the controlled mainstream media. This is why I am posting Yeo's well considered rebuttal so that the people can get a better perception instead of blaming the Pakatan administration, based on biased reports.

http://www.kinibiz.com/story/opinions/83941/5-mistakes-khairy-made-on-the-selangor-water-crisis.html
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