“Humane Governance: Imperative for Human Rights”: Inaugural Raja Aziz Addruse Memorial Lecture by J S Verma, Former Chief Justice of India (29 Oct 2011)
Posted by Web Administrator
Monday, 12 December 2011 10:09am
Contributed by Anis Taufik, Editor/Writer, and Chin Oy Sim, Deputy CEO, Bar Council
Guests began filing into the freshly-named Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium from 11:45 am on 29 Oct 2011 (Saturday) for the Inaugural Raja Aziz Addruse Memorial Lecture. The event, organised by Bar Council in collaboration with The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn Alumni Association of Malaysia (“Lincoln’s Inn Alumni Association”), featured the eminent jurist J S Verma, former Chief Justice of India and former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission of India.
The event commenced with Christopher Leong, Vice-President of the Malaysian Bar, taking to the stage to deliver his opening remarks. In his speech, Christopher Leong rephrased the Malaysian Bar’s guiding principle as “to uphold the cause of justice without regard to our own interests, to act without fear or favour”. Expounding that “to act without fear” meant having “the ability to overcome fear or to act in spite of it”, he stated that Raja Aziz Addruse, President of the Malaysian Bar thrice over, had been a man who had truly exemplified this core principle. He went on to say that Raja Aziz Addruse’s role and contribution had been of such magnitude that he had been “our sail and compass, our shield and sword”.
Christopher Leong then provided brief background information regarding the event. Since Raja Aziz Addruse’s demise on 12 July 2011, several parties, chief amongst them Dato’ Seri Gopal Sri Ram, Vice President of Lincoln’s Inn Alumni Association, had suggested the establishment of an eponymous memorial lecture series in memory of Raja Aziz Addruse, and Bar Council’s decision to do so had been arrived at in consultation with the Addruse family. Christopher Leong thanked Lincoln’s Inn Alumni Association and the High Commission of India in Malaysia for “their invaluable support and contributions” toward the event.
No one has ever accused Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak of rhetorical reticence, especially when the political spotlight is shining intensely. The leader who coined the "1Malaysia" campaign, which has done surprisingly little to ease the concerns of the country's non-Malay minorities despite its snappy logo and full government backing, has now turned his attention to political reform.
In his
Malaysia Day speech on September 15, Najib proclaimed that "The Malaysia which we dream of and one that we are currently building is the Malaysia which practices functional and inclusive democracy, where peace and public order are safeguarded in line with the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law and respect for basic human rights and individual rights." While activists held out hope for real reform, many political commentators viewed this as the opening salvo for possible early elections in 2012, which will be hotly contested between the government and a political opposition that made historic gains in the last election, held in 2008.
A SOLITARY Election Commission officer has been tasked with procuring indelible ink to be delivered to polling stations a day ahead of polling in the next general election.
No one else in the country knows anything about the indelible ink.
Details ranging from the type of ink, brand, bottle design, colour to its characteristics, or even how voters are marked using the ink, are being kept under wraps, the Election Commission said yesterday.
EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said as an added security feature, its officers nationwide would use a uniform technique when marking voters before they collect the ballot papers.
"It could help EC officers detect if a voter was marked by an officer, or by someone with ill intent," he added.
MELBOURNE: The Australian government is prepared to reopen the Nauru asylum seeker processing centre but insists it will still pursue its people swap deal with Malaysia.
It said the Nauru option was on the table if the opposition agreed to pass the government's amendment to the Migration Act without changes.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said the government's people swap deal with Malaysia remained but was willing to compromise with the opposition on other offshore processing centres.
The Gillard government had been adamant it would not reopen the Nauru centre that it closed after taking power in 2007.
But Bowen said yesterday that the impasse over offshore processing had gone on for too long, and it was clear opposition leader Tony Abbott did not want to work out a deal with the government.
Christmas is the time for us to redeem and reconcile our relationships with people that we care about. It’s a time for us to remember and rekindle the passions in life that we dream about.
IT all began in a little town called Bethlehem, where a baby was born in a manger. Over centuries, it has captured the joys of wintertime like listening to sleigh bells ringing, building snowmen in the meadow and roasting chestnuts on an open fire.
With or without snowfall, Santa Claus always comes to town whenever the season is upon us, in the malls and on the streets.
Today, Christmas is no longer just a religious or cultural festival celebrated in the West, but a global event transcending race, religions and cultures.
Much of its universal appeal lies in the values embodied in the spirit of Christmas. The highlight at any Christmas party, whether hosted by Christian families, schools, offices or friends, is the exchange of gifts.
As a service to Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers, we publish the Bar Council library update on a periodic basis. The update is a current awareness alert to Members and pupils in chambers on the latest developments in legislation and new library acquisitions.
The information for the update is compiled from the up-to-date contents of Lawnet Malaysia and will normally include the following, with notes and coming-into-force dates of legislation:
Federal Bills;
Acts;
Amendment Acts; and
Federal Subsidiary Legislation – PU(A) and selected PU(B) series.
Click here to view the current update. Members and pupils in chambers wishing to peruse the new acquisitions are welcome to drop by the library. We are open every Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Saturday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Fun in the Sun at Cherating, Kuantan (30 Sept to 2 Oct 2011)
Posted by Web Administrator
Thursday, 22 December 2011 11:16am
by Sumitha Shaanthinni Kishna and photos by Sumitha Shaanthinni Kishna and Brenden Anthony
The Bar Council staff trip to Cherating, Kuantan was easily voted as one of the best staff events organised as it attracted the most number of staff and family members — 91 individuals in all! The trip was most welcomed as the Bar Council Secretariat staff members had been busy at work including assisting in the numerous conferences organised by Bar Council since the start of the term.
Two buses ferried us to Cherating from the congregating point at the Bar Council building on 30 Sept 2011 (Friday) for a three-hour journey along the East-West Highway. The slight drizzle did nothing to dampen our spirit as we chatted and partied in the busses and refused to catch 40-winks lest we miss the fun!
We sighted village settings in the final 30-minute drive on a rural road. Quaint restaurants outlined with colourful light bulbs and shops selling the famous keropok lekor were in abundance. As we turned the corner into Impiana Cherating Resort, the road led us through a 100-metre driveway lined with rows of yellow Allamanda leading to the porch of the resort, which displayed a welcome banner for us.
Text of the keynote address by Edmund Bon Tai Soon delivered at The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall’s 3rd Civil Society Award ceremony on 12 December 2011. BERSIH 2.0 ran out eventual winners with Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas Committee second and Pusat Komas third.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends and comrades, citizens and people of Malaysia.
I thought it important that we remind ourselves of the role, purpose and importance of the Federal Constitution by recalling parts of the speech of our first Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Rahman, when His Majesty opened the first Parliamentary session of Malaya on 12 September 1959:
It is the product of many minds working with a common aim, to evolve a basic charter for this new Malayan nation of ours – a charter drawn from our past experience and suited to the conditions of our surroundings and way of life – a charter of our firm faith in the concepts and traditions of parliamentary democracy – and finally, and most important of all, a charter of our common belief that certain fundamental liberties are essential to the dignity and self-respect of man.
These fundamental liberties are written into our Constitution. They include the liberty and equality of persons under the law, the basic freedom of speech and freedom of worship. The Constitution proclaims Islam as the official religion of the Federation and makes Malay the official language.
THE Dewan Negara yesterday passed the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 which guarantees the right of Malaysians to gather peacefully.
It was approved by 39 senators with eight against.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong, in winding up the debate, said critics of the bill were only out to confuse the public.
"Of course citizens have fundamental rights, but the freedom given cannot be absolute.
"The bill is part of the government's efforts and commitment to the right of every citizen to assemble peacefully.
"It is also the the responsibility of the government to ensure that the rights of those who want freedom and peace are also protected."
The bill provides for restrictions and conditions to be imposed by police. These include on the conduct of participants, payment of cleanup costs, cultural or religious sensitivity and historical significance of the place of assembly, and concerns and objections.
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.
Talk on Intellectual Property Law (10 Feb 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, the talk on “Intellectual Property Law” will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 10 Feb 2012 (Friday). The talk will feature Bahari Yeow Tien Hong. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on the Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Proceedings (21 Feb 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, the seminar on “The Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Proceedings”, featuring Sanjeev Kumar Rasiah, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 21 Feb 2012 (Tuesday). Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on the Fundamentals of Conveyancing (24 Feb 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar featuring Jeremiah R Gurusamy will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 24 Feb 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Mediation Skills Training Course (29 Feb to 4 Mar 2012) Organised by Bar Council, the Mediation Skills Training Course will take place at 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, at Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 29 Feb to 4 Mar 2012 (Wednesday to Sunday). Deadline for registration and payment is 17 Feb 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on “Land Fraud: An Australian Perspective” (13 Mar 2012) Organised by IGIL, GSGSG and UUM COLGIS, this free talk featuring Quintin George Rozario of Delta Law, Brisbane, Australia, will take place at 9:00 am, at Dewan Seminar A, Pusat Konvensyen, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, on 13 Mar 2012 (Tuesday). To RSVP, contact Mr Abutt (04-928 4397; abutt@uum.edu.my).
The event commenced with Christopher Leong, Vice-President of the Malaysian Bar, taking to the stage to deliver his 
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As a service to Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers, we publish the Bar Council library update on a periodic basis. The update is a current awareness alert to Members and pupils in chambers on the latest developments in legislation and new library acquisitions.
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Circular No 021/2012: Application to State Authority for Consent to Transfer Properties
