The extraordinary general meeting (EGM) slated to be held by the Bar Council on
Oct 6 to discuss the status of the judiciary following the revelation of an
explosive video clip has been postponed.
“The EGM will call for a royal commission of inquiry to be set up. Since the
government has formed a panel to investigate, we want to see its findings
first,” said council vice-president Ragunath Kesavan when contacted today.
“We are not cancelling it, we are just postponing it. We don’t want to call for
an EGM now, and for another one later (if the council is dissatisfied with the
panel's findings)," he added.
No new date has been fixed for the EGM pending the completion of the panel’s
probe.
Ragunath revealed that the council was considering sending a team of lawyers to
hold a watching brief should the panel’s investigation be carried out in the
form of an inquiry.
Asked on how the Bar Council - the governing body of some 13,500 lawyers in the
country - will keep up its pressure on the matter, he replied: “The pressure is
now on the panel.”
Historic march
It is understood that some lawyers have expressed their reservations on the need
for the EGM following the successful Bar Council-led march, dubbed the ‘Walk for
Justice’ on Wednesday.
The march, from the Palace of Justice to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s
office was participated by a strong crowd of 2,000 lawyers and members of the
public.
It ended with the council bearers handing a memorandum to the premier calling
for the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry to stem the slide in the
judiciary.
The council also said on Wednesday that it will give the three-member panel set
up by the government a chance although this fell short of its call for a royal
commission.
The three-member panel is headed by former chief judge of Malaya, Haidar Mohd
Noor. The other two are former appellate court judge Mahadev Shanker and social
activist Lee Lam Thye.
The eight-minute edited video, said to be recorded in 2002, was revealed by
opposition PKR last week. It showed senior lawyer VK Lingam talking on the
phone, apparently brokering the appointment of judges with Chief Justice Ahmad
Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, who was the chief judge of Malaya then.
This sparked off an uproar in the legal fraternity and among the public.
The Bar Council has officially lodged a complaint with its disciplinary board
yesterday against Lingam, who is said to be overseas until end of the month.
Ahmad Fairuz has also denied that it was him talking to Lingam in the clip. The
denial was issued via de facto law minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz.
CONDUCT 'REACH OUT' CAMPAIGN written by Stephen Tan Ban Cheng,
Friday, September 28 2007 08:12 pm
"Laudable" must be one of the better words to describe this tactical move by the Bar Council to postpone the Malaysian Bar EGM pending the outcome of the Independent Panel of Inquiry. This wise decision will never obscure the Bar Council's standing call for an Royal Commission of Inquiry that can compel witnesses to testify despite the panel's formation.
The three-member panel is chaired by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor and manned by National Service Council chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye and former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar. Its terms of reference is confined to verifying the authenticity of the video clip.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced its formation on Sept 25, stating that its findings would be submitted to the Government and made public. I hope the three-man panel will also have regard for the surrounding circumstances of cases decided at least two years ago or even more. We still have the eaarlier Raja Segaran cases to contend with, if I am not mistaken.
'REACH OUT' CAMPAIGN
While I commend the Bar Council for holding the "spontaneous" march in the sense that it was almost a last-minute decision to hold the march against the background of Law Minister Nazri's highly political response - there was no knowing how many would have turned up - the Bar Council may perhaps want to consider reaching out to all Malaysians by ordering and selling the "Walk for Justice" cap and badges to capitalise on the sentiment of all Malaysians.
If my proposal is adopted, then all the State Bar offices can be used as retail outlets. This will also allow Malaysian lawyers the opportunity of explaining what is happening to all Malaysians. If need be, future events that will be held will enjoy better understanding and support from all Malaysians concerned with the state of the judiciary. At the opportune moment, the Malaysian Bar Council may also want to sponsor a book if it is proven that this affair is indeed heinous and insidious.
Stephen Tan Ban Cheng
What is next? written by Shim Wai Loon,
Friday, September 28 2007 11:01 pm
I think we should start discussing about what would our next step be if nothing happens or the panel does not act fairly, the Bar must not forego this issue because the efforts of those members who walked the march in the rain cannot be wasted.
Shim Wai Loon
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"Laudable" must be one of the better words to describe this tactical move by the Bar Council to postpone the Malaysian Bar EGM pending the outcome of the Independent Panel of Inquiry. This wise decision will never obscure the Bar Council's standing call for an Royal Commission of Inquiry that can compel witnesses to testify despite the panel's formation.
The three-member panel is chaired by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor and manned by National Service Council chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye and former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar. Its terms of reference is confined to verifying the authenticity of the video clip.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced its formation on Sept 25, stating that its findings would be submitted to the Government and made public. I hope the three-man panel will also have regard for the surrounding circumstances of cases decided at least two years ago or even more. We still have the eaarlier Raja Segaran cases to contend with, if I am not mistaken.
'REACH OUT' CAMPAIGN
While I commend the Bar Council for holding the "spontaneous" march in the sense that it was almost a last-minute decision to hold the march against the background of Law Minister Nazri's highly political response - there was no knowing how many would have turned up - the Bar Council may perhaps want to consider reaching out to all Malaysians by ordering and selling the "Walk for Justice" cap and badges to capitalise on the sentiment of all Malaysians.
If my proposal is adopted, then all the State Bar offices can be used as retail outlets. This will also allow Malaysian lawyers the opportunity of explaining what is happening to all Malaysians. If need be, future events that will be held will enjoy better understanding and support from all Malaysians concerned with the state of the judiciary. At the opportune moment, the Malaysian Bar Council may also want to sponsor a book if it is proven that this affair is indeed heinous and insidious.
Stephen Tan Ban Cheng