Article contributed by Vanimalar Money Selvam, Officer, National Young Lawyers Committee, and photos by committee members
The Bar Council National Young Lawyers Committee (“NYLC”) organised a “lawatan sambil belajar” or study visit, to the Parliament of Malaysia, on 19 Nov 2015. The objective of the visit was to provide young lawyers and pupil in chambers with a first–hand experience of the Federal lawmaking process.
A total of 16 participants, comprising Members of the Malaysian Bar, pupils in chambers, and law students, participated in the visit. They were hosted by the Member of Parliament (“MP”) for Serdang, YB Dr Ong Kian Ming.
The first session was a discussion and dialogue with MPs, during which five other MPs joined YB Dr Ong and the participants.
At this session, the MPs delivered a brief background on the Parliament of Malaysia, which included the Federal lawmaking process, parliamentary question–and–answer session, parliamentary debates, and others, conducted in an informal and friendly atmosphere.
For the second session, the participants were taken to the Dewan Rakyat, or House of Representatives, of the Parliament, to observe the proceedings there. It was a timely moment, as at that time, the MPs were in the midst of a question–and–answer session regarding the national budget.
The educational visit concluded with a speech by Syahredzan Johan, Co–Chairperson of NYLC. The Committee is especially grateful to the MPs for hosting the visit and believes that the participants have gained much knowledge and had an invaluable experience, from the visit.