The Injustice of Justice

A man cons a woman of her life savings of S$124,000, and squanders it all on horses. He gets jailed for nearly 4 years. Justice served? Indeed, although both end up the loser.

A woman cons her colleagues of nearly S$1 million and gets nearly 6 years’ jail. Justice served? Perhaps. Recompense?

But in a lawsuit where our courts are actually trying to convict a man of cheating a nation of $12 million? They haggle over a measly S$20,000 invoice. Justice?

When Dr Chee Soon Juan appeals his verdict, the appeals judge is the exact same judge who passed the earlier sentence. Justice?

In the last one, one could easily consider that a travesty of the judicial process; not that it bothers me that much: CSJ is going down, there are many ways to skin a cat, but it creates a precedence in the judicial process that opens the floodgates for more “illegal proceedings”.

Why does our courts continue to haggle over a S$20,000 invoice in TT Durai’s case? Why hasn’t the courts addressed the bigger issue, that of wanton spending and missing millions, millions generously donated by the populace for charitable deeds but ending up filling the pockets of a few (Durai, Richard, Matilda, et al)? Why weren’t bail amounts set higher? Why were they allowed to travel? Why were they allowed to liquidate? That powerful lawyers who can command huge 6-7 figure fees can miss slapping a court order on them to prevent them from selling their assets, boggles my mind. To think that our courts could act so fast against the likes of Tang Liang Hong in 1997 yet so laggardly here astounds me.

Why have the previous sentences against the fodder presented to the courts been so light? One could speculate that the courts realise that they are mere fodder offered for the slaughter, but perhaps in light of the light-handed approach against the heads of the Hydra, perhaps the rot goes deeper; delving any deeper would inadvertently expose the Hera behind the scenes?

While I’m not one to advocate mob justice, it’s clear that the general public, the mollycoddled 66.6%, are braying for a criminal sentence befitting the magnitude of the crime. Dereliction of duty, fraud, perjury. Serious offenses. Will the voted appease the voters? We’ll see.

Is Justice to be served?

http://www.newsintercom.org/index.php?itemid=532

How the Ruling Party twists the courts to their favour

Health MInister Khaw Boon Wan said quite a good number of times that he “welcomed debate with the opposition on this issue” and that they “can have a thorough discussion of this”. By this of course we mean the NKF and this gross mismanagement of public funds for self-gain.

Prime MInister Lee Hsien Loong says that he is “disappointed with the opposition parties’ position so far” and that “their unwillingness to spar on issues is a letdown”.

Choice comments from 2 select elite from the upper echelon. Might I ask, what exactly does PM Lee mean when he, on one hand instigates the courts to initiate proceedings against TT Durai and gang and thus evoking sub judice, while on the other hand lament the lack of discussion on the issues?

Isn’t the mismanagement of NKF an issue? Didn’t Mr Khaw say that he wanted discussion on the issue? Now that PM Lee has spoken and sub judice is in effect, Mr Khaw is strangely quiet and PM Lee is firing with all guns, seemingly in an attempt to provoke the opposition to slip up and get sued.

As MSM has vividly shown, SDP has already taken the bait but is soldiering on. WP, SDA, NSP and SPP have wisely decided to sidestep the issue, by not commenting on the issue just yet. Suffice it to say, most of them are currently in the huddle to decide what can or cannot be discussed, or at all.

Read www.todayonline.com/articles/113678.asp, TODAYOnline’s take on the NKF sub judice issue for a clearer picture on the matter. According to Mr Shashi Nathan, head of criminal department at Harry Elias Partnership, “general comments on the NKF saga can still be made during the run-up to the elections, although specific references to allegations or to people involved in the case should be avoided at all times”.

It appears that the letter of the law is so vague it leaves everything to chance, tantamount to literally a blank cheque if sub judice is violated. Yet another masterstroke by the ruling party. It’s quite doubtful if any opposition party will mention NKF by its most glaring aspects without running afoul of the law. SDP, MM Lee and PM Lee have already shown the way, charting the path of ash and cinder for those who dare tread the NKF path.

http://www.newsintercom.org/index.php?itemid=430

The rich and powerful get away with everything

Yet another glaring example of how the rich get away with everything even the law in Singapore was presented in today’s (22nd Feb 2005) ST front page.

Premier Taxi chairman Timothy Chua was fined a mere $1,000 for committing road rage. Apparently an engineer Toh was trying to filter into the right-most lane and Chua hit him. The collision caused Chua’s Merc to careen into the central divider. He had to help extricate his wife as the door was jammed and that enraged him. Chua then assaulted Toh.

To me this sounds identical to a similar case where a lady driving a car just came out of a parking lot (!!!) and hit a motorbike carrying a husband and his pregnant (!!!) wife. The collision enraged the motorcyclist as he allegedly was worried about his pregnant wife and assaulted the driver, whom I think is a complete moron BTW.

Both cases to me sound identical, except for two things, one’s a rich Merc driver the other a poor motorbiker. The former gets fined, the latter gets the lock, stock and several smoking barrels.

And lest us not forget the infamous $2.1mil settlement in favour of a rich expat wife whose husband’s crazy antics won her some moola, not unlike an episode of Fear Factor…

The law in this country is obviously in cahoots with the rich and powerful here. They share Cuban cigars and ‘82 French wine while they discuss the various ways they rule the roost and screw the pleebs. That several cases manifest in such close promixity reveal that they simply do not care anymore to give a facade of morality or justice.

When they don’t care to do that anymore, kangaroo courts will persist and the notion of law and justice will become just that, a notion.

http://www.newsintercom.org/index.php?itemid=263