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Justice delayed is justice denied
Media Statement
by Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew
(Petaling Jaya, Tuesday):
The hearing of two murder cases can only
begin at the end of 2007 "because the Shah Alam High Court has too many case
lined up" is unacceptable.
The first case involves Kher Then Heng, 26,
who was charged with killing See Sheau Feng together with his brother still
at large on March 28 at the house in Sijangkang, Banting. In the second
case, a pregnant Salina Abdul Shukor, 26, was charged with causing the death
of her three-year-old son Syakir Abdul Aziz between April 4 and 7 at the
their squatter home in Kampung Pinggir, Lembah Jaya Selatan in Ampang Jaya.
Both were to be detained in the police
lock-up or prison as both were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code,
which carries the death penalty upon conviction.
What is going to happen if both of them are
acquitted three or four years later upon completion of their cases? As "a
person is innocent until he/she is proven guilty" is the cornerstone of the
modern laws, what has taken place at the High Court in Shah Alam yesterday
must be viewed seriously by the heads of the judiciary and the Government.
The Chief Justice Datuk Ahmad Fairuz has
announced publicly on 5 August 2004 that all murder cases should be heard
within a year. He should now personally look into the matter and find a
solution.
The complaint about too many backlogs in the
courts is not new. Both the CJ and the PM must act immediately to resolve
the problem, instead of allowing the current situation to deteriorate.
Justice delayed is justice denied. What have
happened to Anwar Ibrahim, and now Kher and Salina are simply unacceptable.
It's time to put a stop to such injustices in the country.
The Sg Chua 20 families Vs Sunway Group is
another glaring example. The villagers who have lost their homes to the SILK
project developer have been complaining that the Court of Appeal is taking
too long to decide a date for their appeal. Their feeling is understandable,
as many of them have suffered a great deal after losing their own shelters.
How many more years do they need to wait before the justice is done? And how
long could they wait, as some of them are elderly people?
Is the Pak Lah Administration really keen in
listening to the truth from its rakyat? It's time to walk the talk.
(17/8/2004)
* Ronnie Liu Tian
Khiew, DAP national publicity secretary
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