Contributed by Joe Chin, Writer/Editor, and Chin Oy Sim, Deputy CEO, Bar Council, and photos by Shan Theivanthiran, Member of the Bar, and Brenden Anthony, IT Assistant, Bar Council
Members of the Bar and guests of the Malaysian Bar Annual Dinner and Dance 2013 began trickling into the The Royale Chulan Hotel Kuala Lumpur before 6:30 pm, a half hour before the event was scheduled to begin. A light and easy quietness permeated the reception area and foyer of the Taming Sari Grand Ballroom on that lovely evening of 16 Mar 2013; one could hardly tell that “A Night of Elegance” was about to unfold, just a few hours after the conclusion of the Bar’s well–attended and somewhat drama–filled 67th Annual General Meeting.
The ample foyer was lined with decorated cocktail stands in flowing beige drapery, with hotel staff and a beverage corner ready to serve a selection of aperitifs, orange juice and carbonated drinks. There was hardly room to walk amongst the crowd by 8:30 pm, when the dinner bell rang. Among the guests who filed into the ballroom were Tun Dato’ Seri Zaki Tun Azmi, former Chief Justice, and Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Md Raus Sharif, President of the Court of Appeal. As soon as the guests were seated in the ballroom, the band for the night, Radiate Charade, and jazz singer Karen Lai began performing I Dreamed a Dream, a song from the sung–through musical Les Misérables that gained mainstream popularity after Susan Boyle performed it on the television show Britain’s Got Talent, in 2009.
The ample foyer was lined with decorated cocktail stands in flowing beige drapery, with hotel staff and a beverage corner ready to serve a selection of aperitifs, orange juice and carbonated drinks. There was hardly room to walk amongst the crowd by 8:30 pm, when the dinner bell rang. Among the guests who filed into the ballroom were Tun Dato’ Seri Zaki Tun Azmi, former Chief Justice, and Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Md Raus Sharif, President of the Court of Appeal. As soon as the guests were seated in the ballroom, the band for the night, Radiate Charade, and jazz singer Karen Lai began performing I Dreamed a Dream, a song from the sung–through musical Les Misérables that gained mainstream popularity after Susan Boyle performed it on the television show Britain’s Got Talent, in 2009.
The emcees of the night, incoming Bar Council member Ravinder Singh Dhalliwal and outgoing Bar Council member Syamsuriatina Ishak, then greeted the guests with cheerful humour before they called upon the Immediate Past President of the Bar, Lim Chee Wee, to address the gathering.
Lim Chee Wee briefly recalled the various challenges that the Malaysian
Bar and Bar Council had encountered in the previous year, and credited the Bar for its triumphs. He jokingly referred to having made a nuisance of himself in the streets during his tenure as President, and declared that he would now do the same, but in the courtroom instead. He concluded his remarks by introducing the new Office Bearers: Christopher Leong, President; Steven Thiru, Vice–President; Richard Wee Thiam Seng, Secretary; and Karen Cheah Yee Lynn, Treasurer. He expressed confidence in his successor, and wished the incoming Council members the best. He then received a striking farewell memento — a large, framed montage of photos that captured some of the most memorable times in his tenure — from Christopher Leong.
The Annual Dinner and Dance provided a fitting occasion to celebrate the Bar’s receipt of the United Nations Malaysia “Organization of the Year 2012” Award, which had been conferred on United Nations Day on 24 Oct 2012. The Malaysian Bar had received the award in recognition of how, “[t]hroughout its 66–year existence, [it] has admirably fulfilled its role as guardian of the rule of law, and defender of human rights and the public interest, in Malaysia”. After the emcees read out the names of all the Bar’s past Presidents, accompanied by a short video screening of their photographs, special guest Kamal Malhotra, then–United Nations Resident Coordinator for Malaysia, symbolically reprised the presentation of the award to Lim Chee Wee, who was joined on stage by eight past Presidents and the new President. It was a significant moment, as the milestones in the history of the Bar were pondered upon with nostalgia, pride and hope.
Dinner was served at approximately 9:00 pm. Ten minutes later, Radiate Charade — three of whose members are practising lawyers with the Kuala Lumpur Bar — struck up You’re Just Too Good to Be True by Andy Williams. They continued to entertain the guests throughout the night with evergreen songs such as Careless Whisper by Wham! and Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder, interspersed with jazz numbers by Karen Lai, a former member of the Penang Bar. Members and guests chatted and mingled actively throughout the ballroom and out into the foyer.
Philip Koh Tong Ngee, Senior Partner at Messrs Mah–Kamariyah & Philip Koh, was then invited to deliver the citation for Peter Mooney, recipient of the Malaysian Bar Lifetime Achievement Award 2013. This award had been instituted in 2011 to recognise and appreciate “…outstanding Members of the Malaysian Bar who have demonstrated particular dedication and exemplary lifetime service, and made invaluable and outstanding contributions, to the Bar”, and was first conferred in 2012. The citation highlighted Peter Mooney’s accomplishments, and touched on his roles as “counsel statesman”, Crown Prosecutor, soldier, Bar Council member and Bar Vice–President, and humanitarian. It summed up Peter Mooney as one who “represents the best tradition of the Malaysian Bar and reflects the highest standards and values of the common law world”, and whose gift to the Bar has been many years of noble service that now permit the Bar to “have our today and our tomorrows”.
The annual presentation of the Sports Personality of the Year award followed. Dalgit Singh and See Kwong Yan received joint recognition, and the signature jacket and certificate as tokens of appreciation for their outstanding and significant contributions to the Bar in the sphere of sports, and for championing the spirit of sportsmanship unstintingly and consistently through the years.
Then came a much–anticipated moment: the arrival on stage of Rizal van Geyzel, the Harith Iskandar–endorsed stand–up comedian who is back on the Malaysian comedy scene after having pursued a degree in hotel management. He delighted the laughing audience with his jokes, and had them in stitches throughout his performance.
The crowd was still pretty intact as the next item on the programme — the Lucky Draw — was announced. The grand prize comprised two Economy Class return tickets to Mauritius, along with vouchers for a five–day, four–night stay, courtesy of Air Mauritius. The rest in the list of prizes included Advanpress travel vouchers and Spark Manshop vouchers worth RM1,000, and two–day, one–night stays in selected hotels.
The emcees then thanked everyone who attended the Dinner and Dance, and bowed out for the night while the members of Radiate Charade resumed their positions on stage for the dance segment. Most of the guests had chosen to adjourn to the foyer for more mingling, leaving a small group to stay behind to enjoy the music and dance along.
The memorable celebration of exemplary accomplishments and exquisite fun at a grand venue would not have been realised, had it not been for the efforts of the tireless and ever–resourceful Organising Committee, and others who lent a helping hand. Led by then–Secretary of the Bar, Tony Woon Yeow Thong, the Committee comprised Secretariat staff members Anne Andrew, Dewani Zolkifli, Lily Aw, Rajen Devaraj, Sangheetha Kuppusamy and Suriati Dalilan.
It was indeed a night of elegance.