Acceptance speech delivered by V C George, in response to the citation delivered by Christopher Leong, 30th President of the Malaysian Bar (2013–2015)
As to the rumour referred to by Christopher Leong in delivering the citation, that I was said to be the most popular arbitrator in the country, I know all about it — I started the rumour!
In the context of the fact that I had retired from the Bench some 20 years ago and lawyers with a standing of even 10 or 15 years may not have any idea as to what I look like, and in the context that most if not all the previous recipients of the Award, save Dato’ Mahadev Shankar, had been given the award posthumously, I was not surprised to hear two lawyers at the table next to mine:
1st lawyer: Who is Christopher Leong talking about?2nd lawyer: The retired Judge, V C George.1st lawyer: Good heavens! Is he dead?
Honourable Minister, Excellencies, My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Steven Thiru, our outgoing President, assured me that I would be allowed to say a few words — “Keep it short”, he said.
It was difficult to prepare a response to the citation, not knowing what was going to be said — like drafting a Statement of Defence without knowing what is in the Statement of Claim. And so I am afraid that I am going to be guilty of bad advocacy, in that I may meander somewhat before, if at all, I get to the point I want to make.
I thank those who mooted the idea, I believe that Brendan Navin Siva was one of those behind it. I thank M Ramachelvam and his Committee who evaluated the nominations and the Bar Council for deciding to give me this very prestigious award; and I thank those who got together the citation, and the video, including Lim Chee Wee, Vinayak Pradhan, Mahadev Shankar, Christopher Leong, Kamraj Nayagam, Brendan Navin Siva, Chacko Vadaketh, and Rajen Devaraj and his team at the Bar Council office.
It’s difficult to think of anything more boring than a video of the sort you were subjected to. I had nothing to do with that. I am sorry that you had to endure that.
Now, Shakespeare in Twelfth Night, had Malvolio read the anonymous letter that included the line, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them”.
I cannot say that my achievements were great but with this prestigious award from the Bar (with which I have been closely and actively involved since 1963), I can proudly now say that I have some measure of greatness thrust upon me in that I now stand almost shoulder to shoulder with the likes of the late Raja Aziz Addruse, R Ramani, Peter Mooney, Karpal Singh and the very alive, Mahadev Shankar.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the highlight of my involvement with the Malaysian Bar is that it was in my watch that we had the outdated 1947 Advocates and Solicitors Ordinance replaced by the 152 sections of the comprehensive Legal Profession Act of 1976.
Some of us in the Bar Council had been working on the draft and the many related rules for some years. The brunt of the work was completed when Chan Hua Eng, my immediate predecessor as Chairman of the Bar Council, was in charge and who had driven us hard into attempting to complete the thing, and complete it we did, in 1976, to enable me as the Chairman for 1976 to present it to the Attorney General, Kadir Yusof, a good friend of the Bar, who had it pushed through Parliament to become law in 1976 itself.
Chan Hua Eng who is three or four years older than me, is that distinguished–looking man seated at one of the main tables with other past Presidents of the Bar.
Chan Hua Eng, robust middle–aged man that he is, has however to see his doctor for routine check–ups. Hua Eng, please be careful about what you tell your doctor.
Last year, when I was 85, in answer to my doctor’s question, “How do you feel?”, I proudly said I feel as if I am 61. “Oh dear”, he said. “Could be the first sign of Alzheimer’s”.
Christopher Leong, thank you for the manner in which you read the citation. Christopher had advised me in respect of what I should say at this dinner. He said, “Just tell a couple of jokes — but keep it clean and resume your seat”.
In the citation, Christopher Leong referred to my stint in the University of Malaya in Singapore 1950/51. I had applied to read medicine but my school leaving certificate results were not good enough and all that the university offered me was enrolment to do dental studies, and if I did well enough in the first year I could apply to join the second year medical students. Within months, I realised that the whole thing was a mistake and so I commenced to make enquiries in respect of becoming a lawyer.
When the late Khoo Eng Chin and I were practising law in Seremban, as Messrs George and Khoo, I was successful in a damages claim acting for a well–known Chinese businessman of Seremban. The grateful Towkay, in keeping with Chinese tradition, presented me with a large, heavy ebony–coloured wooden plaque with Chinese characters in gold, the meaning of which apparently was, “His tongue is that of the dragon, his roar is that of the Lion”. With great ceremony, Khoo Eng Chin and I had the plaque hung up on the wall in our small office — a not so subtle form of advertisement! However, Mahadev Shankar, then of the Seremban branch of Shearn Delamore, was pitted against me (he has forgotten about it) in the Appeal and brilliantly conned the Federal Court into allowing the Appeal. The wretched Towkay thereupon took back the plaque!
I am delighted to see many of the retired judges, some of whom were my contemporaries on the Bench, at this dinner, and so many of the past Presidents, and their respective spouses. I am happy that a whole lot of my friends and relatives were able to join my wife, Rebecca and my son, Chacko Vadaketh and my elder daughter, Anna from Melbourne at this dinner. My younger girl could not make it.
I congratulate the recently elected members of the Bar Council and I congratulate George Varughese, our new President, and the other Office Bearers.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am from Klang, as are past Presidents, Chan Hua Eng, Steven Thiru and our newly elected President George Varughese. When George Varughese read law in Manchester, his flatmate was Vinayagaraj of Skrine. Apparently the extra–curricular activities of George Varughese and Vinayagaraj were such that their fellow students had reservations as to whether they would make it! But they made it and went on to be the very successful lawyers that they are. Some of the credit for this goes to my brother’s late wife, Mrs V C Jacob, who taught advanced maths (and discipline) to George Varughese and Vinayagaraj at the Anglo–Chinese School, Klang, which happens to be my alma mater as well. V C Jacob and his three children, contemporaries of George Varughese, are present here.
I end with that old much–repeated story for the benefit of the 10% of you who have not heard it before and for the benefit of the 80% who have forgotten the punch line.
A witness was being XXnd:
Counsel: “Is it not a fact that you accepted a substantial sum of money to pervert the course of justice?”
Witness remains silent.
Counsel raises his voice [and repeats the question].
Witness remains silent.
The Judge thunders, “Answer the question!”
Witness, meekly: “I am sorry, my Lord. I thought the question was directed to Your Lordship”.
Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen.
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Please click:
(1) here to view the citation for V C George, recipient of the Malaysian Bar Lifetime Achievement Award 2017;
(2) here to view the speech by Christopher Leong, 30th President of the Malaysian Bar, at the presentation of the award to V C George; and