Kuala Lampur, March 18 -- It is critical that judges speak in dissent where necessary, said the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah.

"Some judges may hold strong legal and moral convictions yet fail to articulate their concerns in their judgments and they may remain silent out of deference to the judgments of others; out of concern that their comments may be dismissed; or out of a misplaced belief that what they might have to say is not that important," he added.

"Sometimes, the brave dissenting voice is transformed into law. A classic case is that of Brown v Board of Education 347 US 483 (1954) when the US Supreme Court gave weight to the spirit of Justice Harlan's dissenting voice in Plessy v. Ferguson 163 US 537 (1896)," he further a...