Contributed by Joane Sharmila, Editor / Writer, Bar Council
The Malaysian Bar’s 75th Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) was held online and conducted virtually through live streaming and online remote voting via a Remote Participation and Voting (“RPV”) platform on 13 Mar 2021.
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A brief summary of the AGM follows below.
(1) The quorum of 500 Members was achieved at 10:00 am. The Chairman, Salim Bashir (President of the Malaysian Bar) called the meeting to order at 10:06 am.
(2) Nine motions had been proposed for consideration at the AGM.
(3) Eight resolutions (available here) were ultimately adopted by Members of the Bar, as follows:
(a) Resolution Regarding the Continuing Professional Development Scheme;
(b) Resolution Regarding the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021;
(c) Resolution on Minimum Remuneration for Pupils and Improving the Quality of Pupils;
(d) Resolution to Clarify on the Policy to Implement Minimum Remuneration for Pupils in Chambers;
(e) Resolution to Support the Call to Abolish the Practice of Child Marriages in Malaysia;
(f) Resolution to Clarify the Validity of the Bar Council’s Sexual Harassment Mechanism Adopted Pursuant to the Bar Council Circular No. 54/2007 dated 2 March 2007 titled ‘Code of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace’;
(g) Resolution on Condemning Repatriation in Violation of Court Order, and Enactment of Refugee/Asylum Seeker Law; and
(h) Resolution for the Abolition of Scandalizing the Judiciary as Form of Contempt of Court, Repeal of Section 114A Evidence Act, and an Enactment of a Contempt of Court Act.
A total of 1,268 Members registered their attendance at the AGM, which concluded at 4:58 pm.
In the first Bar Council meeting held immediately after the AGM, the following Office Bearers of the Malaysian Bar were elected for the 2021/2022 term:
- President: A G Kalidas Krishnan s/o Gnanaprakasam (Selangor Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
- Vice-President: Surindar Singh s/o Chain Singh (Immediate Past Vice-President)
- Secretary: Shahareen Begum bt Abdul Subhan (Chairman, Johore Bar Committee)
Murshidah bt Mustafa (elected to the Bar Council by postal ballot) was appointed as Treasurer.
The remaining 34 members of the Bar Council are:
Immediate Past President
(1) Salim b Bashir Bhaskaran
Elected by Postal Ballot
(2) Anand Raj s/o R Balasupramaniam
(3) Chan Weng Keng
(4) Dipendra s/o Harshad Rai
(5) Farez b Mohd Ali Jinnah
(6) Hendon Mohamed
(7) Karen Cheah Yee Lynn
(8) Muhammad Rafique b Rashid Ali
(9) New Sin Yew
(10) Roger Tan Kor Mee
(11) Surendra Ananth s/o Anandaraju
(12) Tan Lay Ean
Chairmen of State Bar Committees, and State Bar Representatives on the Bar Council
(13) Fadhil Ihsan b Mohamad Hassan (Johore Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(14) Burhanudeen b Abdul Wahid (Chairman, Kedah Bar Committee)
(15) Rosman Azwan b Osman (Kedah Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(16) Roshalizawati bt Muhammad (Chairman, Kelantan Bar Committee)
(17) Zuhaidie Akmal b Hasan Basri (Kelantan Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(18) Vivekananda s/o Sukumaran (Chairman, Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee)
(19) Harleen Kaur d/o Tarjeet Singh (Kuala Lumpur Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(20) Nitin Kumar s/o Gordhan (Chairman, Malacca Bar Committee)
(21) Jaspal Singh Gill (Malacca Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(22) Azmi b Abdoll Aziz (Chairman, Negeri Sembilan Bar Committee)
(23) Joseph Mathews s/o P M Mathews (Negeri Sembilan Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(24) Abdullah Johari b Hamzah (Chairman, Pahang Bar Committee)
(25) Muthu Kumar s/o Suya Kumanan (Pahang Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(26) Ravi Chandran s/o Subash Chandran (Chairman, Penang Bar Committee)
(27) Lee Guan Tong (Penang Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(28) Babu Raj s/o Raja Gopal (Chairman, Perak Bar Committee)
(29) Namasoo, Vejayan s/o Suppiah Namasoo (Perak Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(30) Nor Herdawati bt Harun (Chairman, Perlis Bar Committee)
(31) Fatin Hayati bt Abdul Rahman (Perlis Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(32) Kokila Vaani d/o Vadiveloo (Chairman, Selangor Bar Committee)
(33) Sallehudin b Harun (Chairman, Terengganu Bar Committee)
(34) Mohd Zabidi b Yusof (Terengganu Bar Representative on the Bar Council)