Media Statement: “Kempen PerlembagaanKu” / “MyConstitution Campaign”

Bar Council ConstiLC has released the following statement found here.

For the first time in the history of the Malaysian Bar, the Bar Council this term (2009/2010) formed a Constitutional Law Committee (ConstiLC) to entrench constitutional study and promote constitutionalism as part of the Bar’s already wide-ranging initiatives in society.

The ConstiLC’s vision and mission is to, inter alia:

• promote the concept of constitutionalism and the rule of just law;

• raise awareness of, and educate the rakyat on provisions of the Federal Constitution and thereby to empower the rakyat;

• document and respond to constitutional issues that arise;

• conduct research on matters relating to the Federal Constitution and/or State Constitutions and where necessary, make recommendations for constitutional reform; and

• assist and advise the Bar Council on constitutional matters.

The ConstiLC has adopted a two-year Blueprint 2009-2011, which sets out the Committee’s programme. Our core initiative is to conduct a first-of-its-kind national campaign – “Kempen PerlembagaanKu” or “MyConstitution Campaign”. The aim of the campaign is to educate and empower the rakyat and to create greater awareness about the Federal Constitution.

As part of this campaign, the ConstiLC will embark on the following, inter alia:

• producing a series of rakyat service video advertisements on selected provisions of the Federal Constitution;

• publishing a series of pocket-sized guides to different parts of the Federal Constitution;

• hosting a series of awareness-raising and interest-building programmes on the Federal Constitution through symposiums, dialogues, forums and lectures;

• publishing articles on the Federal Constitution and where necessary, policy papers with recommendations for constitutional reform.

The focus of the campaign will be on explaining important concepts and themes of the Federal Constitution such as:

• the role and function of the Federal Constitution as the “rule-book” or a framework of our nation;

• the role, function and powers of our constitutional institutions such as the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, the monarchy and the public service;

• the relationship between the Federal Government and State Governments;

• the rights and fundamental liberties of the rakyat; and

• the process of Federal and State elections as part of a functioning democracy.

The ConstiLC trusts that this initiative will be of immense benefit to the people of Malaysia. Given this, we wish to invite partners including the federal and state governments, academic institutions, NGOs and media organisations to support and join us in this campaign.

Discussions on the finer details of the campaign have begun and the official launch will take place soon.

Thank you.

Dated this 31 st day of July 2009

Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Mahaletchumi Balakrishnan & Syahredzan Johan
Chairperson, Co-Deputy Chairperson & Co-Deputy Chairperson

Constitutional Law Committee
Bar Council Malaysia

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Tags: academic institutions, Bar Council, ConstiLC, Constitutional Law Committee, Edmund Bon Tai Soon, federal and state governments, fundamental liberties, Mahaletchumi Balakrishnan, media organisations, NGOs, rakyat, rights, Syahredzan Johan