The absence of honour in our legal profession is reflected in our own legal practise. These days a ‘letter of confirmation’ is issued for the most petty of matters such as mentioning on behalf of another (see my article ‘Of Mentions and Mentioning on Behalf‘ for a fuller explanation of this notion), the informing of […]
Posted inPray For Me
Law reforms when one spouse converts to Islam: the Problem
Shamala, Subashini and Indira Ghandi* are all household names now. They are the most prominent of a number of cases where one spouse in a non Muslim marriage converts to Islam, and attempts to force the other spouse to go to the Syariah Court and to be subjected to Islamic personal law regarding the breakup […]
Posted inWhy You Can, I Cannot?
Visiting the Malay “Rights”
I have been labelled anti this and that. Apparently, I am also pro this and that, or the other. As such, I am going to begin this article with a disclaimer, just as all accountants do on their reports. This article contains my interpretation of the relevant Constitutional provisions in respect of the “rights” of […]
Posted inTalking about Lawyers
Advocating the return of honour to the legal profession (Part 2)
Furthermore, a powerful intelligence is dangerous when coupled with dishonesty just as diligence is wasted without a sense of justice. A person with only the external dimension or only an incomplete proper internal dimension is at best a poser and at worse, a fraud. The focus and emphasis in recent times on the external dimension […]
Posted inJudging the Judges
The gobbledegook of Augustine Paul FCJ in the Federal Court’s decision in Zambry v Sivakumar
Gobbledegook Most, if not all, laymen will find the written judgment of Augustine Paul FCJ – who eventually put in writing the judgment of the unanimous decision of the infamous five – most perplexing. I am not surprised. I find it unintelligible also – in fact, it is what the word “gobbledegook” means in the […]
Posted inFood, Drink &...
Sex, thugs, and NGOs in Cambodia
An incisive look at the perceived “innocence” of Phnom Penh as compared to Bangkok because of the lack of red light districts, when in fact its uglier and sinister side lays deep and unseen.
Posted inTalking about Lawyers
Advocating the return of honour to the legal profession (Part 1)
In this article, Fahri Azzat meditates on the practise of law and the role of honour in the practise of law its economics and ethical and moral repercussions. As the article is long, we have endeavoured to break it up into three parts, which will be published daily until conclusion. The comments for the first two parts will be switched off though comments will be allowed on the third and final instalment so that interested readers can respond after having read the piece in its entirety. The full uninterrupted text will be republished on the weekend. The subtitle of the article is, ‘Contemplating the Moral and Ethical Dimensions of a Lawyer’.
Posted inTalking about Lawyers
JUPerlembagaan MP akan bermesyuarat pada 19 Jun 2009
Kepada ahli-ahli Badan Peguam, pelatih-pelatih dalam kamar, NGO-NGO, akademik-akademik, aktivis-aktivis masyarakat sivil, pelajar-pelajar undang-undang dan saudara-saudari, Peristiwa-peristiwa yang berlaku pada tahun yang lalu telah meningkatkan minat rakyat Malaysia dalam konsep keperlembagaan. Berikutan peristiwa-peristiwa ini, kesan undang-undang perlembagaan dalam masyarakat kita kini dirasai pada tahap yang tidak pernah dicapai sebelum ini. Oleh itu, ini adalah masa […]
Posted inSelected Judgments
Full FCT Grounds of Judgment by Nik Hashim FCJ in Jamaluddin & 2 Ors v Speaker v EC
Selected extracts of the grounds setting aside the Perak Speaker’s decisions that the State seats of Behrang, Changkat Jering and Jelapang were vacant pursuant to their Assemblypersons’ purported resignations follows.
Posted inWhy You Can, I Cannot?
Kewarganegaraan: Antara retorik dan realiti Perlembagaan (Bahagian II)
Disambung dari sini. Bahagian II menjelaskan keadaan di mana Kerajaan dapat melucutkan kewarganegaraan seseorang. Perkara-perkara berkenaan dengan penamatan kewarganegaraan terkandung di dalam Bab 2, Bahagian III Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Perkara 23 membolehkan seseorang warganegara Malaysia melepaskan kewarganegaraannya secara sukarela. Perkara 23(1) memperuntukkan bahawa: Mana-mana warganegara yang berumur dua puluh satu tahun atau lebih dan yang sempurna […]
Posted inSelected Judgments
The RPK case – Grounds of Judgment on Quorum Failure issue
With regard to my post “The RPK case – a significant victory”, I would like to inform that the Federal Court’s grounds of judgment, as written by the Chief Judge of Borneo, Justice Richard Malanjum, may be found at the the Court’s website. Here are some key extracts from the Judgment.
Posted inWhy You Can, I Cannot?
Chin Peng go home (like “ET go home”)
Najib even went to China to kiss Hu Jintao’s ass so why can’t Chin Peng visit Malaysia
Posted inWhy You Can, I Cannot?
Kewarganegaraan: Antara retorik dan realiti Perlembagaan (Bahagian I)
Bahagian I artikel ini menerangkan undang-undang Perlembagaan Malaysia yang terpakai berkenaan isu kewarganegaraan. Baru-baru ini, beberapa pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang kononnya ditubuhkan untuk “mempertahankan bangsa Melayu dan agama Islam” telah menggesa kerajaan supaya membatalkan kewarganegaraan mereka yang dikatakan “membuat tuntutan yang keterlaluan” dan “bertentangan dengan Perlembagaan Persekutuan”. Gesaan untuk membatalkan atau melucutkan kewarganegaraan ini […]
Posted inLet's Get Together
Statement on PAS’ resolution on SIS by Prof Dr Aziz Bari and Edmund Bon
Joint statement by Professor Dr. Abdul Aziz Bari and Edmund Bon Tai Soon: The resolution by PAS calling for SIS to be investigated, and if necessary banned, will maintain a disturbing trend. Considering the matter from the fresh perspective of association rights under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution sheds light on the issue. The […]
Posted inPray For Me
Aiyo, PAS .. whylah? I had such high hopes!
By dragging the Divine into the secular, PAS has themselves invited all and sundry to comment on Islam.
Posted inPray For Me
PAS v SIS
The actual resolution by PAS is this: Mendesak Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan membuat penyelidikan ke atas SIS yang membawa aliran Islam Liberal dan seterusnya mengharamkan pertubuhan tersebut sekiranya terbukti bertentangan dengan syariat Islam serta membuat program pemulihan ke atas ahli-ahlinya. The key words are “penyelidikan” and “sekiranya terbukti”. This is clearly a call to investigate and […]
Posted inSelected Judgments
Full FCT Grounds of Judgment by Paul FCJ in Zambry & 6 Ors v Speaker
Selected extracts of the grounds setting aside the suspension of Zambry & 6 others follows. On the objection that proceedings should have been commenced by way of judicial review, the Court held: The rule in O’Reilly v Mackman [1982] 3 All ER 1124 has been adopted by the Court of Appeal in cases such as […]
Posted inPray For Me
PAS, UMNO and SIS
I refer to PAS’ resolution on SIS recently. PAS is entitled to hold such a view. However, I can’t get over the feeling that PAS seems to be picking and choosing without any consistency. The notion of Islamic, and right or wrong seems to be switching around according to the leaders’ whims and fancies. Before […]
Posted inTalking about Lawyers
BC’s ConstiLC to kick-off on 19 June 2009
Dear members of the Bar, pupils-in-chambers, NGOs, academics, civil society activists, law students and friends, Events of the past year have increased the interest of Malaysians in constitutionalism. Following these events, the impact of constitutional law in our society is being felt on an unprecedented scale today. It is therefore an opportune time for civil […]
Posted inWhy You Can, I Cannot?
“Holocaust”
When everyone is focusing on the Perak state crisis and the police’s crackdown on the peaceful candlelight vigils/fasting campaigns, how many have actually paid an iota of attention on Sri Lanka “holocaust”? We have heard the numerous clarion calls for moral support and solidarity for the democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San […]