A good read - Subhas Anandan

I've just finished reading this book 'The Best I Could' by Singapore's best-known criminal lawyer, Subhas Anandan, which I bought from Popular Bookstore last Sunday!

It's a book written for the man in the street and of course, it's an easy to understand book. It can be considered part autobiography, part log of Singapore's criminal history. He shares insights into some of the high-profile and sensational crimes that he had handled and defended. Being a straightforward man, he pulls no punches with his comments, be it his disappointment with court decisions or calibre of people he had worked with. He was also very straightforward with his comments towards past and present presidents of the Law Society.

The cases which he had shared with pretty interesting and I had enjoyed reading them all. He gives some behind-the-scene conversations with criminals and though they have committed crimes, some still show a softer side of themselves.

Anyway, two of the paragraphs struck a cord with me. He was describing how one of the ex-presidents of the Law Society, Chelvarajah is being remembered for his courage in speaking out over Chief Justice Yong Pung How's demands to get things done quickly. This reminds me of our workplace where big bosses always want things fast, fast, fast!!! Here are the extract:

"...The Chief Justice wanted backlogs cleared quickly. He did not want justice to be delayed, all the time emphasising that justice delayed is justice denied. He was always rushing everyone. He wanted the law to be swift but in his enthusiasm, he did not take into consideration the practical problems lawyers face, for instance, when bringing in foreign witnesses in time for trials. No quarters were given. The registrar was given instructions to issue early dates and to clear the cases quickly. If people could not accept the dates given, the registrar was told to strike off the court action. It was getting to be a very serious problem.

"At an annual dinner held during his term as president between 1990 and 1992, where the Guest-of-Honour was then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, Chelva made his speech. He took a dig at the Chief Justice, who was present at the dinner, when he said: "When we talk about justice delayed being justice denied, we must also remember that justice hurried is justice buried." There was practically a standing ovation for him because he had put it so aptly at the appropriate time. I think it took a lot of guts for the Law Society president to stand up and say that. Though enthusiastically received, his speech did not have any effect on the judicial administration. Cases were still being rushed but I feel Chelva made his point that evening."

I wonder when we, as administrators, can do the same thing to our big bosses. Quite slim chance partly because we don't have that calibre and partly because we don't have the guts. I also wonder what will push us to that end if we should really tell them off one day.

Between lawyers and doctors, I wonder which profession is more 'evil' and which is a harder nut to crack. Probably not much difference. They will always consider themselves as the cream of the crop with the smartest brain and show some kind of 'elitist' attitude.

23 Jan 2009 (9.26pm)