Contributed by Joane Sharmila, Editor/Writer, and photos by Md Faizal b Mahat, Senior Administrative Assistant, Bar Council
The Malaysian Bar Annual Dinner & Dance (“ADD”) 2016 was held at the Palace of the Golden Horses on 19 Mar 2016, a few hours after the conclusion of the Bar’s 70th Annual General Meeting. In line with the theme “Traditions of the World”, the ladies were impeccably attired in resplendent traditional finery and evening gowns, while the gentlemen looked dapper in their traditional ensembles, and modern suits, ties, and tuxedos.
The evening was the perfect occasion to mingle with the who’s who of the legal profession, as well as members of the Judiciary. The drinks flowed freely and the atmosphere was filled with gaiety and excitement. A photo booth was also set up at a corner in the foyer, complete with a Chinese palanquin and a veteran car to set the mood for an ideal Instagram moment.
This year’s ADD was attended by more than 800 guests, among them illustrious Members and former Members of the Bar, Judges from the High Court and Court of Appeal (“CoA”), Judicial Commissioners, past Presidents of the Bar, Presidents of the Advocates’ Association of Sarawak (“AAS”) and the Sabah Law Association (“SLA”), as well as Ambassadors, High Commissioners and representatives of various countries and organisations. Among the eminent guests of honour were Judges of the CoA, YA Dato’ Varughese George and YA Tuan Vernon Ong Lam Kiat; past Presidents of the Malaysian Bar, Hendon Mohamed, Mah Weng Kwai, Ambiga Sreenevasan, Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari, Yeo Yang Poh, and Christopher Leong; retired Judges Dato’ Mahadev Shankar, Dato’ Seri Shaik Daud Ismail, and Dato’ KC Vohrah; Chairman of the Industrial Court, Puan Jamhirah Ali; SLA President Brenndon Keith Soh; and AAS President and Vice–President Leonard Shim and Sarbjit Singh, respectively.
The ADD proper commenced at 8:26 pm, with a fashion show of the various costumes of the main ethnic groups in Peninsular Malaysia. The emcee for the evening, Melvin Aeria, accompanied by his sidekick, DJ Don Skelchy, officially kicked off the ADD, and invited Steven Thiru, President of the Malaysian Bar, to give his welcoming remarks.
Steven Thiru’s speech was entertaining and peppered with humour. On a more serious note, however, he also spoke on various recent as well as current issues in the country, and was particularly inspiring when he uttered these words: “We are — and we were always intended to be — one people under the Malaysian sun”. He pointed out, tongue in cheek, that his “singular achievement” as President of the Malaysian Bar has been his success in issuing twice as many press statements as his predecessor, and each one twice as long! He also paid tribute to Members of the Bar who will not be returning to serve in the Bar Council in the new term. They are, among others: Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari (25th President of the Malaysian Bar, who has served 20 terms), Christopher Leong (30th President of the Malaysian Bar, who has served 11 terms), and Low Beng Choo (Chairperson of the Conveyancing Practice Committee, who has served 20 terms).
Dinner was served after the opening remarks, and quite soon after, it was the momentous time to present the much–awaited Malaysian Bar Lifetime Achievement Award (“MBLAA”). This year’s recipient — the fifth, since the award was instituted — was the late, great Karpal Singh s/o Ram Singh. As Chairperson of the MBLAA Selection Committee, M Ramachelvam was invited on stage to say a few words on the award, and also the recipient. This was followed by a superb slide presentation on the life and work of Karpal Singh. It brought poignant memories to some of the guests, while instilling awe in others.
An abridged version of the citation for Karpal Singh was presented by Ambiga Sreenevasan, who with her commanding voice and animated delivery, held the crowd’s attention. The presence of Karpal Singh’s family members — Gurmit Kaur, Karpal’s widow; sons Gobind Singh Deo and Mankarpal Singh Deo; and daughter Sangeet Kaur Deo — and the presentation of the award to them, drew thunderous applause and numerous standing ovations. Both Gobind Singh Deo and Gurmit Kaur gave brief yet emotional acceptance speeches. For those who had known the late Karpal Singh personally and who had worked with him, or even those who had drawn inspiration from him, the slideshow and award presentation undoubtedly left them teary–eyed, particularly as his passing is relatively recent.
After the sombre moment, dinner resumed, and singer Ezlynn took to the stage, starting with a slow number, “Menghitung Hari” by Kris Dayanti. She followed up with a Chinese song by A–Mei, “Ting Hai”, and even walked to a table, picking a random guest to complete the song, which the guest did commendably. Ezlynn continued with a short rendition of “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, the full version of Frank Sinatra’s “Sway”, and a Japanese song by the musical duo Kiroro, “Nagai Aida”.
As dinner continued to be served, Anand Ponnudurai, Co–Chairperson of the Bar Council Sports Committee, was invited to present the Sports Personality of the Year awards. The four recipients for 2016 were Amrit Pal Singh, Christopher Leong, Lee Guan Tong, and Peter–Douglas Ling, who each received a signature jacket and a certificate.
The evening shifted to higher gear with the first round of the lucky draw and a host of wonderful prizes for the fortunate guests, including hi–tea, dining, and buffet vouchers, and 2 day–1 night stay–vouchers, all courtesy of various hotel sponsors.
The next item was a spontaneous one, where emcee Melvin Aeria invited young lawyers attending the ADD for the first time to go up on stage, to play a game. What they did not expect was that they had to perform to win prizes. They were divided into two teams of five each, and made to compete by dancing to different genres of music.
Zlwin Chew, the mentalist–magician–illusionist, was the next entertainer, and performed mind–blowing feats to a rapt audience. Ezlynn returned with a second round of songs, performing her own hit single, “Hi Hi Bye Bye”, which she belted out flawlessly, and ended with a medley of catchy disco hits — “I Will Survive”, “Funky Town”, and “On the Radio”.
By this time, it was getting far into the night. Emcee Melvin Aeria got back on stage to hurriedly present the final round of lucky draw prizes, which comprised cash vouchers, 2 day–1 night stay–vouchers, a Samsung Home Theatre System, a Samsung Galaxy J2 mobile phone, and Omega and Tag Heuer timepieces. The grand prize was a Samsung Galaxy tablet.
All in all, the ADD is an event worthy of mention, which celebrates the benchmarks of senior lawyers, debut of young lawyers, and accomplishments of the legal profession and the Bar. Above all, this event could not have been successful without the able team of the ADD Organising Committee, comprising Anne Andrew, Lily Aw, Rajen Devaraj, Sangheetha Kuppusamy and Suriati Dalilan once again, as well as Karen Cheah Yee Lynn, Secretary of the Malaysian Bar, who spearheaded the team. Without their tireless efforts, this annual event would not be a triumph, year after year.