KUALA LUMPUR: The chairman of the panel which probed the "Lingam" video clip has welcomed the decision to set up a royal commission of inquiry.

Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, in Mauritius for a business meeting, said it was "good" that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi decided that a commission should look into the matter in greater detail.

"That's good, if the royal commission is going to be set up," said Haidar over the telephone when told that Abdullah had announced his decision on Friday.

Asked what would be a reasonable time frame for the formation of the commission, he said: "That would be up to the government. I've already done my job."

Haidar, a former chief judge of Malaya, was appointed in September to head a three-man panel to determine the authenticity of the video clip showing lawyer Datuk V.K. Lingam on the telephone allegedly brokering judicial appointments with a senior judge.
In announcing his decision, Abdullah said a royal commission was deemed appropriate based on the reports submitted by the panel, whose other members were former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar and social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

Bar Council chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan supported the decision, adding that the commission's powers should be wide enough to cover all issues arising from the clip.

"That would include looking at all judicial appointments made at the time of the alleged conversation."

The appointments should also be made as soon as possible so that proceedings could begin quickly, she said.

"I foresee, however, that the hearings may be a lengthy process due to the subject matter. Whatever it is, the decision is welcomed because this is an opportunity to uncover the truth," Ambiga said.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said that the composition of the royal commission was crucial.

"The government must ensure the commission is made up of individuals with impeccable character, who are beyond reproach."

In George Town, acting Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the commission would settle the video clip controversy once and for all.

The clip, he said, had been very unsettling to the public and the party welcomed the government's decision to end the controversy.

"A royal commission with full powers will be able to conduct a thorough investigation," Koh said in a statement yesterday.

"It will also be able to recommend appropriate action should it find any wrongdoing.

"It is important that appropriate steps be taken to restore public confidence in the judiciary."