The Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) that was instituted as a bridge has now turned into a wall. When first conceived, the CLP was designed to enable British-trained Malaysian lawyers who cannot be called to the English Bar to take bridging examinations to facilitate their admission into the Malayan Bar.

For many years, this was nobly done until some bright spark in a moment of insanity turned the bridge into a wall. Today, this wall is extended and used to prevent all lawyers trained overseas - England, Australia and New Zealand - from being admitted into the Malayan Bar.

So, from a bridge, the CLP became a wall. From a facility, it turned into a barrier. All because we in Malaysia are blessed with poltergeists whose habit it is to turn a bed of roses into a bed of thorns.

This probably explains many of Malaysia's problems - social, economic and political. We inherit one of the best systems in the world, but we are also infested with poltergeists. We Malaysians continue to allow the poltergeists to mill their mischief to the detriment of our young nation.