SLA feels the quick response by the government with the setting up of an
independent panel is good enough: President
"We are with the Bar Council but they never asked us to join in their
symbolic march."
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Law Association (SLA) has reiterated its concern over
the issue of a video clip showing a senior lawyer purportedly brokering
the appointment of judges, but the association does not see any reason to stage
a demonstration over the matter.
Its president John Sikayun said the SLA and the Sarawak Advocates Association (SAA)
had already made their stand in a statement that a full, thorough and proper investigation must be carried out and completed with the greatest urgency.
He was commenting on the peaceful Walk of Justice by some 1,500 lawyers to the
Prime Minister’s Department at Putrajaya on Wednesday to submit a memorandum
pressing for the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry to probe the
matter.
“We are with the Bar Council but they never asked us to join in their symbolic
march,” said John.
He said the government had set up an independent panel comprising retired Chief
Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, former Court of Appeal judge Datuk
Mahadev Shankar and social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, who is also a Borneo
Post columnist.
“The government has responded quickly by setting up an independent panel, which
is good enough. What we want is for the penal to do their job quickly and their
findings must be made public and recommendations acted upon,” John said.
On the symbolic march by the Bar Council, he said the SLA and SAA were doing a
different thing in Sabah and Sarawak.
“For the past four years during the annual opening of the legal year, we have
been marching to express and remind ourselves of our obligations and duty to
uphold justice and the rule of law, among other things.” he added.
The Sabah Justices of Peace Council (MAJAPs) said yesterday it viewed certain
reactions to the matter as contrary to the legal principles of presumption of
innocence and natural justice.
Its honorary secretary Datuk Dr Lawrence Thien said while the matter was of
great concern to all, it was to be deprecated that those allegedly involved were
condemned and judged base on a mere video clip, the authenticity of and exact
nature of which had yet to be established.
“The manner in which the video clip is made through the media instead of a
report first filed to the relevant authorities raised suspicion as to the actual
motives of the persons responsible for the video clip, and it is highly
prejudicial to those allegedly involved,” he said.
According to him, the judges who were allegedly involved could not defend
themselves publicly and what was grossly unfair was that all judges were “tarred
with the same brush”.
Lawrence also expressed MAJAPS support for the government in setting up the
independent panel to investigate the matter.
“Let us await the findings of the panel before we pass judgment,” he added.
The Walk and The Talk written by Tan Peek Guat,
Saturday, September 29 2007 03:06 pm
Members of the Malaysian Bar merely did a walk - a meaningful and appreciative walk, in the sun and in the rain, and for a rightful cause too - which, as they had termed it, was a "Walk for Justice".
Besides not having done anything, nor having walked, now, it is so easy for other parties to comment, and continue commenting, and to simply 'talk' - about that walk. Talk is free and it is definitely much easier to talk than to walk. To do nothing is always easier than doing something, and this must be especially appreciated if that something is done out of concern for OTHERS, and not oneself.
Therefore, for anyone to experience the same pain and strain - as experienced by our concerned Malaysian Lawyers, one needs to experience a walk by walking, and not just by 'talking'. So, for those who did not walk, you simply need to stop your talk.
Rightfully, the call for the walk allowed the concerned Malaysian Lawyers the opportunity to have congregated at the "Palace of Justice", and not the "Palace of Just Ice."
WHY RESPOND LIKE THAT? written by Stephen Tan Ban Cheng,
Saturday, September 29 2007 03:55 pm
The issue has been ventilated since Sept 19, when the video clip first surfaced after it was released by Keadilan de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.
What is worth highlighting is the subsequent claim by my learned friend and Keadilan vice-chairman, Sivarasa Rasiah, that part of the tape showing V.K.Lingam saying he was speaking to the actual person was wiped off.
So, by my observation, the Sabah Law Association (SLA) did nothing for four days. It took the SLA about five days to welcome the setting up of the three-man panel by the Government. And it took another seven days to respond the second time to the continuing saga - in fact three days after the March for Justice on Sept 26.
The second statement seems to say that the SLA was not contacted. This is strange, as communication can always be initiated by any of the SLA leaders if they are concerned enough.
This kind of response reminds me of the Rat sitting on the Ox's head when they marched to meet the dying Buddha. When they reached the Enlightened One, the Rat jumped out of the pack and became the first animal to meet the Buddha. Ever since then, the Rat has become the first animal followed by the Ox who has since been angry with the "opportunism" of the Rat. Why is the Ox angry? It is because he did all the work of walking and never expected the Rat to strike out when they meet the Enlightened One.
I leave you, my fellow learned friends, to make your own judgment although I still retain the view, unless convinced otherwise, that the March for Justice has been more than worthwhile when we consider a litany of cases starting from ...
Stephen Tan Ban Cheng
Write comment
You must be logged in to a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.
2012 Bar Council Subscription Click the link above to download Circular 072/2012 pertaining to the 2012 Bar Council subscription, including the payment guide and a set of Frequently-Asked-Questions.
2012 Hotel Corporate Rates Attending seminars? Going for a holiday? Click on the link above to check out the list of hotel corporate rates for Members of the Bar, which is updated regularly.
Bar Council Bookshop Read MORE … but pay LE$$! Members enjoy a 20% discount on LexisNexis publications at the Bar Council Bookshop. Click on the link above for the list of available titles.
International Malaysia Law Conference (26 to 28 Sept 2012) Hurry up! The countdown continues and the current promotion rate ends 30 June 2012. Don't miss what is going to be the best conference in the region! On top of that, if you sign up with 5 or more people from the same organisation, we will give you a 10% group discount. Click on the link above to register.
Seminar on an Introduction to the Industrial Relations Act (23 May 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 23 May 2012 (Wednesday). The seminar will be conducted by Wong Keat Ching. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on Tax Issues in Financial Transactions (25 May 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar, featuring S Saravana Kumar, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Dialogue with Criminal Law Practitioners (26 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council, this dialogue will take place at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at the Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 26 May 2012 (Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
Conference on Competition Law (31 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council with the support of LexisNexis, this conference will take place at 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, at Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, on 31 May 2012 (Thursday). For more details or to register, please contact Vilashini Vijayan (03-2050 2095; vila@malaysianbar.org.my). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on What Clients Want (7 June 2012) Organised by the KL Bar Practitioners' Affairs Committee, the talk, presented by Ong Eu Jin, will take place at 5:00 pm, at the KL Bar Auditorium, on 7 June 2012 (Thursday). Click on the link above for more details.
4th LAWASIA Family Law Conference, Penang (13 and 14 July 2012) Supported by Penang Bar Committee and the Malaysian Bar, this conference, themed “The New Global Family: Emerging Trends and Challenges to Family Practice”, will take place at Traders Hotel, Penang, on 13 and 14 July 2012 (Friday and Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
News 
©
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Circular No 106/2012: Accountant’s Report 2011
Members of the Malaysian Bar merely did a walk - a meaningful and appreciative walk, in the sun and in the rain, and for a rightful cause too - which, as they had termed it, was a "Walk for Justice".
Besides not having done anything, nor having walked, now, it is so easy for other parties to comment, and continue commenting, and to simply 'talk' - about that walk. Talk is free and it is definitely much easier to talk than to walk. To do nothing is always easier than doing something, and this must be especially appreciated if that something is done out of concern for OTHERS, and not oneself.
Therefore, for anyone to experience the same pain and strain - as experienced by our concerned Malaysian Lawyers, one needs to experience a walk by walking, and not just by 'talking'. So, for those who did not walk, you simply need to stop your talk.
Rightfully, the call for the walk allowed the concerned Malaysian Lawyers the opportunity to have congregated at the "Palace of Justice", and not the "Palace of Just Ice."