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(The Star) - The ball is now in the Attorney-General's court and the case should be investigated without fear or favour, said Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.
Responding to the Cabinet's decision to make public the Royal Commission's report on the V.K. Lingam video clip, she said that the public was entitled to the findings in full. “The A-G's investigations must be carried out fairly, thoroughly and quickly in such a manner to assure the public that there would be no cover-up. “This is important for the credibility of our investigating institutions,” she said yesterday. Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye described the decision as a step in the right direction to restore the people's faith in the judiciary. He added that the move was appropriate as it was a matter of public interest. “The decision should be lauded as it is in line with the Government's objective to promote transparency and accountability,” said Lee, who was a member of the three-man independent panel tasked to probe the authenticity of the video clip when it surfaced on Sept 19. He added that back then he had also lobbied for the report to be made public. Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong said that making public the findings of any Royal Commission should be an automatic process, adding that it was the right of the public to know. Wee, however, said that more should be done. “It must not just stop here. There must also be an inquiry into any figure who has been implicated in the case. “Furthermore, any recommendation by the commission towards the case must be implemented,” he said.
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As to the commission's investigation and recommendations, let's all hope that this will set a new benchmark on future commissions. No doubt there will be many to follow given the mess the country is in.