NAZRI AZIZ – PLEASE BE MORE RESPONSIBLE IN WHAT YOU SAY OF OTHERS

It was reported that the Coroner’s Court has rejected a motion to cite Minister in PM’s Department Nazri Aziz for contempt for allegedly calling Dr. Pronthip a liar after the latter had failed to attend the resumption of the inquest into the death of Teoh Beng Hock.

In rejecting the motion, Coroner Azmil Mustapa Abas cites that, “Nazri was merely expressing a personal view”. He further cites that, “To say that Dr. Pronthip lied is not acceptable, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion”.

I must thank Coroner Azmil for his professional judgment in rejecting the motion to cite Nazri Aziz for contempt. I can now call anybody a liar as I please, and then say that I am expressing a personal view, and am entitled to my own opinion. I can also now call the Coroner and Nazri Aziz a lair as well…………could I?

Personally, I think this judgment does not make any sense at all. How could Nazri Aziz utter such a statement, just because Dr. Pronthip does not want to present her findings personally to the court. Dr. Pronthip has her reason not to attend the court in person, and one has to respect her decision. By citing such a motion, the coroner has now created precedence for anyone to call a witness a liar if he/she fails to appear in court to defend his/her findings, or to be cross examined.

As for me, calling someone a liar is not a pleasant thing to do unless I am extremely sure that he/her has lied. Taking Dr. Pronthip’s case, no one except those with a professional knowledge similar to that of Dr. Pronthip can make any observation/comments on Dr. Pronthip’s findings. Now, who is Nazri to make a comment and to call Dr. Pronthip a liar? Is he a member of the prosecution team? If he wants to be in the prosecution team, then he should resign his minister’s post? And being a minister, does he think he has the right to make comments on any cases that goes before the courts?

I just wonder, sometimes learned people can be so uncouth and a bothersome. And Nazri Aziz is one minister who has the capacity to say things that are uncouth and lacks finesse. I can simply sum up by saying that it is the upbringing of Nazri Aziz that has made him what he is today.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION