~Puteri Bunga Semalu~: Opening of the Legal Year 2010

Opening of the Legal Year 2010

Tuesday, January 19, 2010 Posted by Azizah Aling

The PICC - the eagle like structure was converted into a pseudo court room on the 16th of January 2010. We were all particularly honoured by the presence of the Right Honourable Chief Justice Dato' Seri Paduka Awang Haji Kifrawi bin Dato' Paduka Haji Kifli of Brunei, the Right Honourable Chief Justice Robert J. Torres of Guam and Mr. Michael Hwang, President of Singapore Law Society. Lawyers from all over Malaysia including Sabah and Sarawak were also attending this auspicious event to give their support.

The purpose of having the Opening of Legal Year is to bring together members of the legal fraternity and those connected with it. Lawyers in the eyes of the lay person are always acting in opposition when they appeared in Court. The public inadvertently perceive that the Bar views the A-G's Chambers and the Judiciary as obstructions to their goal whilst the A-G's Chambers sees the Bar as a thorn in its flesh.

Like what our Chief Justice said, little do public know that in our honourable profession, lawyers standing in opposition to each other before a judge do not treat their opposition as enemies. Rather, they are just fulfilling their duties without emotional involvement. Although they argue against each other, they usually feel proud for having the opportunity to contribute towards justice. They are all in fact, part of THE COURT.

The Judiciary, the Bar and the Chambers must come together with one vision and one aim, and join hands to create a condusive working environment towards attaining justice. Consultation and discussion is very much needed to smoothen whatever hiccups that may appear from time to time in the pursuit for justice.

Our Right Honourable Chief Justice - Yang Amat Arif Tun Zaki bin Tun Azmi

Full quorum of the Federal Court Judges (1 - 11)

The A-G of Malaysia

A very brilliant keynote address by the former Chief Justice - Y. Bhg. Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamed

We must always balance carefully the maxim "justice delayed is justice denied" with the maxim "justice hurried is justice buried".

HRH Sultan Azlan Shah J had stated that "Efforts must constantly be made to speed up the disposition of cases. Litigants have the legitimate expectations to not only a just resolution of their affairs but also an expedition resolution. It is the responsibility of lawyers, be they members of the Bar, or the legal and judicial service, to help meet this expectation of society."

The concept of justice is grounded on the basic principles of equality, fairness and rule of law. There is a maxim i.e. "justice should not only be done, but shoud manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done."

Integrity, justice, courage, temperance and prudence - These are virtues that constitute the moral character of a good professional, indeed that of a good man. Integrity is a fundamental requirement of justice. Without integritty there can be no rule of law. It is the responsibility of every lawyer not to only have integrity but to strenously ensure that the dishonest and corrupt do not have a place in the system of law and justice. An important consideration is the aptitude and ability to take on and perform the task at hand as professionals and with quality.

As Mahatma Ghandi has stated:- "THERE IS HIGHER COURT THAN COURTS OF JUSTICE AND THAT IS THE COURT OF CONSCIENCE. IT SUPERSEDES ALL OTHER COURTS AND TRUTH NEVER DAMAGE A CAUSE THAT IS JUST."