This item has been updated since initial publication.
Contributed by Baizura Abd Razak, Senior Editor/Writer, Bar Council; and photos by Jul Indra Tofan Jahrul and Roslan Mahamud, Administrative Assistants, Bar Council; and Mysahra Shawkat, Assistant Director, Bar Council
The 77th Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Bar (“AGM”) was held at Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur on 18 Mar 2023.
A brief summary of the AGM follows below.
(1) As the quorum was not achieved by 11:00 am, the Chairperson of the AGM, Karen Cheah Yee Lynn (President of the Malaysian Bar) announced an adjournment of the AGM to 11:15 am, in accordance with section 64(5) of the Legal Profession Act 1976.
(2) At 12:00 pm, Arthur Wang, Co-Chairperson of the Bar Council Risk Management Committee (“RMC”), gave a brief presentation on the risk management initiative spearheaded by RMC. The aim of the initiative is to raise awareness and encourage the legal profession to embrace risk management as part of its daily legal practice.
(3) At 12:15 pm, the Chairperson called the reconvened meeting to order.
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(4) Five motions were proposed by the Bar Council and nine motions were proposed by Members of the Bar for consideration at the AGM.
(5) The following 11 resolutions were adopted:
(a) Resolution Regarding the Enactment of Political Financing Laws;
(b) Resolution Regarding Remuneration of Judges and Establishment of Judges’ Remuneration Commission;
(c) Resolution Regarding the Malaysian Bar Professional Indemnity Fund Scheme as an Alternative to the Present Professional Indemnity Insurance Scheme;
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(d) Resolution to Condemn the Royal Malaysia Police for Its Actions and Conduct during the Walk for Judicial Independence on 17 June 2022;
(e) Resolution to Adopt the 2011 United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and Its Implementation in the Malaysian Legal Profession;
(f) Resolution to Establish an Independent Internal Inquiry into the Finding of Facts and Circumstances of the Signing of the LexisNexis Subscription Agreement Dated 20 February 2019 and Its Termination;
(g) Resolution to Recognise Workplace Bullying as a Form of Misconduct;
(h) Resolution on the Right of Peaceful Assembly and Related Matters;
(i) Resolution on Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (“SOSMA”) and Related Matters;
(j) Resolution on Respect of Privacy, End of “Spying” and Intervention of Internet without Due Notice, and Repeal of Sections 233, 252 and 263 and Other Such Draconian Provisions in the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (“CMA”); and
(k) Resolution to Set Time Limit for Minister to Decide on Appeals and Related Matters.
Click here to view the resolutions on the Malaysian Bar website.
A total of 289 Members and 29 pupils in chambers registered their attendance at the reconvened AGM, which concluded at 5:07 pm.
In the first Bar Council meeting held immediately after the AGM, the following Office Bearers of the Malaysian Bar were elected for the 2023/24 term:
- President: Karen Cheah Yee Lynn (Immediate Past President)
- Vice-President: Mohamad Ezri b Abdul Wahab (Immediate Past Vice-President)
- Secretary: Anand Raj s/o R Balasupramaniam (elected by postal ballot); and
Murshidah bt Mustafa (elected by postal ballot) was appointed as Treasurer.
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The remaining 38 members of the Bar Council are as follows:
Elected by Postal Ballot
(1) Azmi b Mohd Ali
(2) Burhanudeen b Abdul Wahid
(3) Chan Weng Keng
(4) Dipendra s/o Harshad Rai
(5) Fahri Azzat
(6) Farez b Mohd Ali Jinnah
(7) Kee Hui Yee
(8) Larissa Ann Louis
(9) New Sin Yew
(10) Sulaiman Abdullah
(11) Tan Lay Ean
(12) Tunku Farik b Tunku Ismail
(13) Yasmeen bt Haji Mohd Shariff
(14) Yong Li Hsien
Chairmen of State Bar Committees, and State Bar Representatives on the Bar Council
(15) Jayabalan s/o Raman Kutty (Chairman, Johore Bar Committee)
(16) Shahareen Begum bt Abdul Subhan (Johore Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(17) Rosman Azwan b Osman (Chairman, Kedah Bar Committee)
(18) Hasnifalina bt Hasanudin (Kedah Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(19) Roshalizawati bt Muhammad (Chairman, Kelantan Bar Committee)
(20) Fauzana bt Ismail (Kelantan Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(21) Alvin Oh Seong Yew (Chairman, Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee)
(22) Vivekananda s/o Sukumaran (Kuala Lumpur Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(23) Foo Qiao Wei (Chairman, Malacca Bar Committee)
(24) Khairil Aznan b Azizi (Malacca Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(25) Marisa Regina bt Mohd Aris Rizal (Chairman, Negeri Sembilan Bar Committee)
(26) Indran s/o V Kumaraguru (Negeri Sembilan Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(27) Abdullah Johari b Hamzah (Chairman, Pahang Bar Committee)
(28) Hon Kai Ping (Pahang Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(29) Oh Li Lin Carolyn (Chairman, Penang Bar Committee)
(30) Ravi Chandran s/o Subash Chandran (Penang Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(31) Kamala Mahlini d/o P Jeganathan (Chairman, Perak Bar Committee)
(32) Balakrishna Balaravi Pillai (Perak Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(33) Nor Herdawati bt Harun (Chairman, Perlis Bar Committee)
(34) Zulfadzrin b Noor Din (Perlis Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(35) Maha Kalithas Pramasamy (Chairman, Selangor Bar Committee)
(36) Kokila Vaani d/o Vadiveloo (Selangor Bar Representative on the Bar Council)
(37) Sallehudin b Harun (Chairman, Terengganu Bar Committee)
(38) Fariz Irwan b Mustafa (Terengganu Bar Representative on the Bar Council)