These Closing Remarks were presented at the Closing Ceremony of the 15th Malaysian Law Conference (Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, 31 July 2010)
Our guest of honour for this Closing Ceremony, YB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Leader of the Opposition, the Honourable the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and Mrs. Ngcobo, distinguished guests, fellow Members of the Bar, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
On behalf of the Bar Council I thank YB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim for graciously accepting our invitation to give the Closing Address at our 15th Malaysian Law Conference.
It is with mixed feelings that I give these Closing Remarks. On the one hand we are glad, relieved even, to usher in the conclusion of what can generally be agreed to have been a successful Malaysian Law Conference. We have had the opportunity to reflect on various aspects of the law in progress. We have taken stock of their contribution to the development of our nation. We have been challenged, cajoled and constructively criticised.
Our guest of honour for this Closing Ceremony, YB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Leader of the Opposition, the Honourable the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and Mrs. Ngcobo, distinguished guests, fellow Members of the Bar, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
On behalf of the Bar Council I thank YB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim for graciously accepting our invitation to give the Closing Address at our 15th Malaysian Law Conference.
It is with mixed feelings that I give these Closing Remarks. On the one hand we are glad, relieved even, to usher in the conclusion of what can generally be agreed to have been a successful Malaysian Law Conference. We have had the opportunity to reflect on various aspects of the law in progress. We have taken stock of their contribution to the development of our nation. We have been challenged, cajoled and constructively criticised.
And so we look back with deep appreciation to all those who have contributed to the success of this event, and are pleased that this has gone well in the past three days. Yet on the other hand it is with a tinge of sadness that we bid goodbye to all of you, the delegates of MLC 2010, without whom this Conference would have been the equivalent of the sound of one hand clapping.
This Conference has been noteworthy on many levels. The number of delegates who registered reached 450. There were 37 sessions (including 9 plenary sessions), and at least 16 foreign and over 70 local speakers. In addition, 12 local judges served as speakers or moderators.
The content of the Conference has been no less remarkable, with a diverse range of topics covered within the three tracks of corporate and commercial matters, human rights and Constitutional issues, and legal practice.
If organising one large Conference like this is no mean feat, try organising TWO Conferences back–to–back, as the Bar Council hosted the 21st Conference of the Presidents of Law Associations in Asia earlier this very week. One of the most difficult issues the MLC Organising Committee had to decide, which led to many heated discussions and caused the Chairperson, Lim Chee Wee, endless sleepless nights, was whether, for the Gala Dinner, to invite Ning Baizura or Jit Murad!
Inviting YB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim was a unanimous Bar Council decision, and it was the right thing to do.
Despite the formidable challenges, I must say – with very little objectivity and a great deal of bias, I admit! – that this 15th MLC is the best so far in the history of the Malaysian Bar! And this is in spite of the fact that I was obliged to give a 30–minute Opening Address. You would think that, as the President of the Malaysia Bar, I would have more say in terms of what I want or do not want to do.
But the Organising Chairperson’s persuasiveness prevailed. And (perhaps fortunately!) the President has very little discretion, when all is said and done. The Secretariat of the Bar Council is really the driving force. Ladies and gentlemen, a big round of applause please, for the Secretariat!
My sincere thanks go to Lim Chee Wee, the Chairperson, Raphael Tay, the Deputy Chairperson, and all members of the Organising Committee, who have done a fantastic job. Numerous students, volunteers, pupils and young lawyers have also contributed a lot of their time and energy to assist in the smooth running of the Conference.
As it is often said, all good things must come to an end. We bid you goodbye until we meet again at the next Malaysian Law Conference, if not before.
Thank you, and to those of you attending the Gala Dinner later tonight, enjoy your evening.
Ragunath Kesavan
President
Malaysian Bar
31 July 2010
A video clip of Ragunath Kesavan presenting this speech is available here.
This Conference has been noteworthy on many levels. The number of delegates who registered reached 450. There were 37 sessions (including 9 plenary sessions), and at least 16 foreign and over 70 local speakers. In addition, 12 local judges served as speakers or moderators.
The content of the Conference has been no less remarkable, with a diverse range of topics covered within the three tracks of corporate and commercial matters, human rights and Constitutional issues, and legal practice.
If organising one large Conference like this is no mean feat, try organising TWO Conferences back–to–back, as the Bar Council hosted the 21st Conference of the Presidents of Law Associations in Asia earlier this very week. One of the most difficult issues the MLC Organising Committee had to decide, which led to many heated discussions and caused the Chairperson, Lim Chee Wee, endless sleepless nights, was whether, for the Gala Dinner, to invite Ning Baizura or Jit Murad!
Inviting YB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim was a unanimous Bar Council decision, and it was the right thing to do.
Despite the formidable challenges, I must say – with very little objectivity and a great deal of bias, I admit! – that this 15th MLC is the best so far in the history of the Malaysian Bar! And this is in spite of the fact that I was obliged to give a 30–minute Opening Address. You would think that, as the President of the Malaysia Bar, I would have more say in terms of what I want or do not want to do.
But the Organising Chairperson’s persuasiveness prevailed. And (perhaps fortunately!) the President has very little discretion, when all is said and done. The Secretariat of the Bar Council is really the driving force. Ladies and gentlemen, a big round of applause please, for the Secretariat!
My sincere thanks go to Lim Chee Wee, the Chairperson, Raphael Tay, the Deputy Chairperson, and all members of the Organising Committee, who have done a fantastic job. Numerous students, volunteers, pupils and young lawyers have also contributed a lot of their time and energy to assist in the smooth running of the Conference.
As it is often said, all good things must come to an end. We bid you goodbye until we meet again at the next Malaysian Law Conference, if not before.
Thank you, and to those of you attending the Gala Dinner later tonight, enjoy your evening.
Ragunath Kesavan
President
Malaysian Bar
31 July 2010
A video clip of Ragunath Kesavan presenting this speech is available here.