Newly-minted Malaysian Bar president Karen Cheah Yee Lynn said she is aware of a petition to push for a "Walk for Justice" and the matter had been under discussion prior to its launch.
She added that an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of the Bar will be called to discuss the matter.
"I am fully aware of the petition by members of the Bar to hold a walk, and as a matter of record, the Bar Council has been putting in all its efforts to discuss the matter, even prior to such a petition.
"The Bar Council had then on April 29, 2022 (Friday) at 4pm also held an emergency meeting to address the issue of allegations of judicial intimidation and collectively decided that we will be calling for an EGM on an urgent basis," she said in a statement to Malaysiakini.
Cheah (above) said the Bar will exercise its statutory duties under the Legal Profession Act 1976 to uphold the cause of justice without fear or favour.
She added that this was on top of a Bar Council statement on April 25 on the need to preserve judicial independence and maintain public confidence in the judiciary as an indispensable institution for the rule of law.
She said the upcoming EGM will discuss the possible options available to the Malaysian Bar, as well as to ventilate and debate any tabled motions.
"We hope to see the attendance of members of the Bar across the nation including our past presidents, to express their thoughts on this issue and to vote on motions that would be significant to the future of our judiciary as an indispensable and crucial institution, and let there be no repeat of attempts to undermine it, as was done during one of its darkest hours in 1988.
"The full details of the EGM will be finalised immediately after this festive Aidilfitri period, and the required statutory EGM notice will be issued to all members of the Bar accordingly by tomorrow," Cheah said.
‘Time for bar to rise again’
She said this in response to an online petition for lawyers organised by a group of former Malaysian Bar presidents.
The petition called on the Bar Council to organise a walk to send a clear message to those who "seek to interfere" in the judiciary.
The organisers of the petition are former Malaysian Bar presidents Mah Weng Kwai, Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari, Yeo Yang Poh, Ambiga Sreenevasan, Lim Chee Wee, and Steven Thiru.
"Recent events have shown a total disregard by certain quarters for the hallowed principle of the independence of the judiciary by actions that can only be described as intimidation of this vital institution.
"It is time for the bar to once again rise and fearlessly defend the institution of the judiciary. It is time to walk," the petition read.
Last week, Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said criticisms of the judiciary had gone overboard.
This was amid an investigation by the MACC on Court of Appeal judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali after a politically-linked blog posted an allegation claiming he had unexplained wealth.
Nazlan, when serving as a high court judge, had convicted ex-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak of corruption, money laundering, and abuse of power.
Najib's former aide Isham Jalil, who is also the Selangor BN information chief, rebutted Tengku Maimun, stating that judges should also go through due process. - Mkini
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