Walk for Justice
Sep 26th, 2007 by Tian
2000 lawyers and supporters from NGOs and political parties marched in Putrajaya today (26 Sept).
The Bar Council has taken a courageous step. Without any doubt, our judiciary is in dire straits. The response from lawyers was also impressive.
The VK Lingam tape has revealed something that everyone seems to have known. It was already long in the minds of the public that many of our court judgements have been politically influenced. However there had never been any material evidence as explicit as the recording of VK Lingam’s phone conversation.
The response of top government leaders has been outrageous as well as ridiculous. Instead of ordering an impartial inquiry into such a serious matter, the Government is busying condemning the lawyers. Minister in the PM’s Department Nazri Aziz accused the Bar council for behaving like opposition parties.
I was glad to see so many highly spirited lawyers marching in formation. In the morning, 3 buses from Kuala Lumpur were stopped at the junction towards Putrajaya. The police at the check point refused to let the buses pass through. The irritated lawyers and passengers decided to defy them and continue their way by foot.
It was an admirable effort, the journey was about 3 or 4 kilometres. I drove to Putrajaya and met the passengers from the buses. So I decided to follow the group and we marched together. We walked for at least half an hour to reach the Palace of Justice. There more than a thousand people already gathered.
From the Palace of Justice, the crowd marched to the Prime Minister’s office. It was spectacular to see so many lawyers marching in their black suits.
When we reached the PM’s Office, the front gate was heavily guarded by FRU and the police force. The crowd gathered at the roundabout in front and a delegation led by Bar Council President Ambiga went inside to hand over two memorandums.
At this moment, rain started pouring. The crowd scattered to seek shelter. But a few hundred stayed. They continued to stand in the rain, getting themselves soaking wet. They waited for about half an hour in the heavy and cold thunderstorm. I had to stand with these enthusiastic lawyers, many of them young and presumably idealistic.
The participants of the march believe that their action can make a difference. Thus the fight must go on, and determination will lead to success.
The event surely has strengthened the conviction of many lawyers to uphold their struggle for justice. Hopefully this spirit will persist. Looking at this new surge of energy, I am convinced that there is still hope despite our desperation.
in any case, the walk is good for the lawyers too under the sun and the rain as it provides them good exercise and they too could feel how it is walking under such conditions as compared to the normal time they spend in air-condition court rooms/ offices.
yes this time around lawyers are putting on their gloves to fight for perhaps what is right and try to seek justice but i question their motives .. is it really because an injustice has occurred .. or because this incident will in some ways or had already caused uneasiness within the legal profession that the BN led coalition government is near full swing in curtailing the Bar council’s influence or neutralising them and they now fear for their future.
in the past there are a number of cases which does infringe on human rights or the rights of malaysians but these cases such as those involving Lina Joy and many others were never taken up to such a high level. is there any difference or the seriousness of those cases compared to the current one does not warrant such an action as the one which is written in this blog. perhaps there is a double standard here .. in the past those issues which does not seem to erode the Bar council’s standing or threatens them are usually given a brief mention in the local newspaper and after sometime it just dies a natural death or perhaps it is highlighted by prominent lawyers like Karpal Singh whilst the rest of the legal fraternity like the Bar council seems not to be too interested.
only now, i see the Bar council staging such a massive demonstration on this particular issue compared to many other issues in the past which rarely receive such attention. the Bar council in actual fact based on my own opinion should be at the forefront fighting injustices no matter how big or small they may be and not pick and choose issues, acting only when the issue can generate huge media attention or when their position or organization is threatened. if such is the situation then it means ordinary folks or those who can’t afford legal representation will never have their issues brought up to the attention of the public or government or those situation would need to depend on the likes of Karpal Singh to fight for them.
to me, the Bar council is no longer fighting for justice or equality under law but more of looking after their individual and personal self interest and Keadilan, DAP and Anwar should be careful and not simply fall on this kind of entrapment set by the Bar council. you never need to be cautious with your enemies but you need to be extra cautious with your ‘friends’…
Dear Mr. Tian Chua,
When is the second part of the video gonna be released ?