Dinner-and-Dialogue with Members of Parliament (21 June 2011)
Friday, 01 July 2011 11:33am
Report contributed by Chua Ai Lin, Senior Editor/Writer and photos by Bar Council Malaysia
On 21 June 2011, Bar Council was honoured to play host to Members of Parliament (“MPs”) and invited guests at a dinner-and-dialogue session at the Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. Representatives from Bar Council consist of Lim Chee Wee, Christopher Leong and Tony Woon (President, Vice-President and Secretary of the Malaysian Bar, respectively), Rajen Devaraj and Chin Oy Sim (Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Bar Council Secretariat, respectively) and six other Council members.
Guest registration started off slow but picked up soon after 7:15 pm. YB Dr Tan Seng Giaw and Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Khalid Ahmad b Sulaiman (Chairman of the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board) were among the early arrivals to sign in the guestbook. As more guests arrived and were shown to the dinner hall, utterances of “YB” were heard repeatedly underneath the crystal chandeliers as everyone exchanged greetings and handshakes.
The MPs who braved the infamous Golden Triangle traffic jam to attend the event were YB Chua Soon Bui, YB Puan Fong Po Kuan, YB Puan Hajjah Fuziah bt Salleh, YB Tuan Gwo-Burne Loh, YB Tuan Hee Loy Sian, YB Tuan Dr Hiew King Cheu, YB Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun (representing YB Tuan Liew Chin Tong), YB Dato’ Johari b Abdul, YB Datuk Liew Vui Keong, YB Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin, YB Tuan M Kulasegaran s/o Murugeson, YB Tuan Manogaran s/o Marimuthu, YB Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli, YB Tuan Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusoff, YB Tuan Mohsin Fadzli b Haji Samsuri, YB Puan Nurul Izzah bt Anwar, YB Tuan Sim Tong Hin, YB Tuan Sivarasa s/o K Rasiah, YB Dr Tan Seng Giaw, YB Dato’ Haji Tajuddin b Abdul Rahman and YB Tuan Tan Tee Beng. YB Puan Teresa Kok sent her apologies through her representatives, Adriene Leong and Alice Lan, who attended on her behalf.
To start off the dinner, the Renaissance’s Combination Platter was served and everyone dug in heartily, in between conversation with their neighbours. Thirty-five minutes and three subsequent courses later, Lim Chee Wee was invited on the stage to deliver his presentation.
He first drew the guests’ attention to some of the more prominent projects Bar Council has been involved in over the past years, such as the Yayasan Bantuan Guaman Kebangsaan (“YBGK”), MyConsti campaign and the Common Bar Course. This was to refute the allegations that have been dogging Bar Council for many years. “Contrary to the common perception, Bar Council does so much more that just issue press statements and organise walks to the Palace of Justice,” he jested, drawing amused laughter from the crowd.
The second half of Lim Chee Wee’s presentation concentrated on issues relating to courts and the legal system, including the Key Performance Indicators (“KPIs”), e-filing system and court recording and transcribing system (“CRT”).
He concluded with how Bar Council and MPs can work together. In terms of what the Malaysian Bar can offer Parliamentarians, Lim Chee Wee conveyed the Malaysian Bar’s willingness to assist by speaking at briefings on areas of law and proposed legislation, drafting proposed legislation and helping with policy/position papers.
He informed the guests that the Bar looks to MPs to advocate the establishment of permanent select committees with oversight of government ministries and legislation, and wide consultation prior to introducing new legislation. He urged the MPs to call for law reform, such as amendment of the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, and repeal of preventive detention laws and other oppressive laws. He also highlighted another item on the Malaysian Bar’s wish list, namely that the annual report of SUHAKAM – the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia – and the state of human rights in Malaysia, be debated in Parliament.
During the dialogue session that followed, YB Tuan Manogaran asserted that “for things to change in the country, the Parliament must change”. He advocated the practice of separation of powers and law reform for the benefit of the younger generations.
YB Dato’ Haji Tajuddin, while acknowledging that the objective of Bar Council in organising the dinner and dialogue was noble, it needed to ponder over the reasons why so many of the ruling party MPs turned down the invitations. He also cautioned those asking for reform for the sake of reform, for there was no guarantee that change would make tomorrow better.
Towards the end, the dialogue shifted to the upcoming BERSIH 2.0 rally, scheduled to be held on 9 July 2011. YB Dr Hatta requested Bar Council to procure an international observer for the assembly, a sentiment which was echoed by YB Puan Hajjah Fuziah, in her hope to see a peaceful gathering without interference from the authorities, an experience she had encountered overseas.
Bar Council thanks the MPs and invited guests for gracing the dinner and dialogue with their presence and hopes that the dinner-and-dialogue soirée will become an annual affair, allowing the exchange of views and ideas.
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News 
Guest registration started off slow but picked up soon after 7:15 pm. YB Dr Tan Seng Giaw and Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Khalid Ahmad b Sulaiman (Chairman of the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board) were among the early arrivals to sign in the guestbook. As more guests arrived and were shown to the dinner hall, utterances of “YB” were heard repeatedly underneath the crystal chandeliers as everyone exchanged greetings and handshakes. 
The MPs who braved the infamous Golden Triangle traffic jam to attend the event were YB Chua Soon Bui, YB Puan Fong Po Kuan, YB Puan Hajjah Fuziah bt Salleh, YB Tuan Gwo-Burne Loh, YB Tuan Hee Loy Sian, YB Tuan Dr Hiew King Cheu, YB Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun (representing YB Tuan Liew Chin Tong), YB Dato’ Johari b Abdul, YB Datuk Liew Vui Keong, YB Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin, YB Tuan M Kulasegaran s/o Murugeson, YB Tuan Manogaran s/o Marimuthu, YB Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli, YB Tuan Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusoff, YB Tuan Mohsin Fadzli b Haji Samsuri, YB Puan Nurul Izzah bt Anwar, YB Tuan Sim Tong Hin, YB Tuan Sivarasa s/o K Rasiah, YB Dr Tan Seng Giaw, YB Dato’ Haji Tajuddin b Abdul Rahman and YB Tuan Tan Tee Beng. YB Puan Teresa Kok sent her apologies through her representatives, Adriene Leong and Alice Lan, who attended on her behalf.
He first drew the guests’ attention to some of the more prominent projects Bar Council has been involved in over the past years, such as the Yayasan Bantuan Guaman Kebangsaan (“YBGK”), MyConsti campaign and the Common Bar Course. This was to refute the allegations that have been dogging Bar Council for many years. “Contrary to the common perception, Bar Council does so much more that just issue press statements and organise walks to the Palace of Justice,” he jested, drawing amused laughter from the crowd. 
YB Dato’ Haji Tajuddin, while acknowledging that the objective of Bar Council in organising the dinner and dialogue was noble, it needed to ponder over the reasons why so many of the ruling party MPs turned down the invitations. He also cautioned those asking for reform for the sake of reform, for there was no guarantee that change would make tomorrow better. 
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