I am a retired district judge. I was also the Registrar of the Subordinate Courts and Supreme Court in the 1980s.

I refer to the report (MPs write appeal letters to court only in 'urgent cases'; Feb 4) as well as to letters in The Straits Times' Forum on MPs sending letters to the courts.

When I was the Subordinate Courts' Registrar, I was instructed by then Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin to ignore such MP letters, to not send them to the judges, and to return them to the PAP Whip.

The reason, I was told, was that founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew had instructed all MPs (in writing) that they should not be writing such letters to the courts.

There was a file containing such letters in the court registry.

The late Mr Lee's views were exactly as stated by Mr Cheng Choon Fei (Unusual for MP to intervene in court case; Feb 3) and Ms Agnes Sng Hwee Lee (Make clear the boundaries on MP petition letters): MPs writing to the courts would blur the separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.

Mr Lee was also of the view that if the MP's constituent resident perceived his sentence imposed by the court as lenient, he might attribute it solely to the MP's letter, and, therefore, feel obligated or grateful to vote for the MP in an election.

Low Wee Ping