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Mahathir Losing Power Over Courts

Don't we have some real beauties in the Commonwealth. Leaders of nations, I mean.

Take for example the terrific Bob Moogabe, big chief banana of Zimbabwe, who in order to stay in power has legalised the theft of property from farmers.

And, in doing so, he had robbed his on-the-edge-of-famine nation of the only people who may have enough nouse to grow enough to feed his beloved people.

And then, just to our north, we have the lovable Dr Mahathir Mohamad, chief jerk of Malaysia.

Why am I so subtle about Doc Mahathir? Well, he was the nice guy who stitched up his main political rival with very suspect charges and had him jailed for about seven years.

He has also jailed other opponents under draconian laws that in real democracies would be regarded as illegal.

Even in Mahathirland the worms seem to be turning and a court has ruled that the arrests and jailing of four opposition leaders - imprisoned without trial for 17 months - were illegal and politically motivated.

Well, whacko the chook, about bloody time they worked out that little bit of law wasn't it. Mind you, the poor devils have to stay in jail until they can lodge appeals against the sentences.

That is, unless Mahathir's cronies decide to change the law and I can't really see that happening - can you?

If there is something that has really got up your nose, let Grumpy Old Coot know at grumpy@webwombat.com