If Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz has any sense of personal honour and professional integrity left, he should resign immediately. If Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has even the slightest responsibility for leadership and moral duty to the citizens, he should not extend the Chief Justice's contract, due to expire this October. If the Malaysian Bar Council has any credible principle of societal obligation and self-policing ethics of a profession, it would disbar the lawyer making that phone call shown in the infamous video clip exposed by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

Alas, judging from past performances, expect none of these. That is the unfortunate reality of Malaysia today. What remains then would be for the King to withhold consent for extending Fairuz's contract, thereby precipitating an unnecessary and distracting constitutional crisis the nation could ill bear.