Gov’t backs proposal to form new lawyer body

The government is in agreement over a demand by a group of lawyers intending to form a new organisation to represent their profession, welfare and legal interests, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

He said the group could form an organisation as a new association or agency like the Legal Academy.

“If there is another association and agency formed to represent them, the Bar Council only represents those who practise law and are registered with the council only.

“But there are those who are qualified in law, such as lecturers, who need not become a member of the council. They are not practising lawyers and need not be a member of the council,” he told reporters after delivering a keynote address at a Professional Teacher Programme for Kuala Kangsar at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tun Perak in Padang Rengas today.

He was commenting on Bar Council member Abu Backer Sidek’s (left) statement that a new, independent lawyer body be formed as the existing Bar Council had failed to defend itself as a professional body with integrity.

According to Mohamed Nazri, the lawyers concerned could set up a legal academy to represent those qualified in law in the country.

He said he was not surprised that there were Bar Council members who were unhappy with the body.



“The Bar Council should protect its members and the interest of the legal profession, as well as act against lawyers who were found committing fraud as reported by members of the public.

“I have said that if the Bar Council wants to be involved in politics, please register as a political party and the problem of the body would not have arisen. It has 20,000 members and only 1,270 attended (yesterday’s extraordinary general meeting). It did not represent the majority voice of the lawyers,” he noted.

Mohamed Nazri said, even the election of the Bar Council was monopolised by only a small group as the election system was carried out by post and there was no voting system and ballot boxes.


‘Do not dream, we will not apologise’

Yesterday, the council passed 12 resolutions in its extraordinary general meeting which, among others, condemned police action in using water cannons and tear gas against participants of the Bersih 3.0 assembly at the federal capital on April 28.

On the council’s demand that the home minister and inspector-general of police apologise for police action during the assembly, Mohamed Nazri said there were no wrongdoings by the authorities.

“Do not dream, we will not apologise,” he said, adding that the government would look into whether assembly organiser S Ambiga (right) had committed any offence under the Peaceful Assembly 2011 Act, especially over contempt of court.

On the withdrawal of the Election Offences Act (Amendment) Bill, he said the move was taken with the agreement of the Election Commission, the government and the opposition when all parties concurred the amendment process would be complicated, said Mohamed Nazri.

He said the amendment process became more complex when Dewan Negara also wanted two more new amendments which needed to be tabled and debated in the Dewan Rakyat again in three months, or the bill would lapse.

On April 19, the Dewan Rakyat passed the bill after it was debated by members of parliament for seven hours.

Source : FreeMalaysiaKini2