KUALA LUMPUR: They did not manage to proceed with the walk for judicial independence, but the lawyers did get their message across.
Despite efforts to negotiate with the police in a standoff, the Malaysian Bar’s anticipated ‘Walk For Judicial Independence’ to Parliament yesterday ended without any protest march after being denied for safety reasons.
The situation calmed down after Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin arrived at Padang Merbok to meet with Malaysian Bar president Karen Cheah and accepted a memorandum.
The memorandum urged the government to, among others, uphold the independence of the judiciary while preserving public confidence in the judicial system.
Mas Ermieyati, who also addressed the gathering, said the government was committed to an independent and free judiciary.
Let us pass: A Malaysian Bar representative negotiating with the police to allow lawyers to go ahead with the walk from Padang Merbok to Parliament in Kuala Lumpur. — FAIHAN GHANI and IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
She assured the lawyers that she would hand over the memorandum to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, which elicited cheers from the crowd.
Lawyers had begun gathering at Padang Merbok as early as 8am yesterday, with some travelling from several other states, to join in the protest march that was to have started at 10am about a kilometre away from Parliament.
Many were seen donning face masks while carrying placards and banners, amid heavy police presence.
In her address to the gathering, Cheah insisted that lawyers be allowed to march peacefully to Parliament to submit the memorandum to the government despite being told by the police that they were not allowed to do so.
She said that the Bar had written to the Prime Minister, who had agreed to accept the memorandum through Mas Ermieyati.
“The government must also condemn the actions of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and legislate reforms where alleged judicial misconduct is investigated in a manner that ensures continued public judicial confidence.” she added.
Mas Ermieyati showing the memorandum after receiving it from Cheah (right).
There was a brief tense moment when the lawyers attempted to begin their march but were prevented from doing so after police personnel formed a human chain to disallow the crowd from leaving the area.
A police light strike force unit was also called in to provide further security after several lawyers attempted to leave the area that was partly barricaded.
Unfazed, the lawyers continued to chant for a free judiciary and sang the Negaraku while calling on the police to allow them to march to Parliament, at least until Mas Ermieyati appeared.
Among those who attended the gathering were former Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof, former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas, and former Bar Council chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.
Cheah requested the crowd to disperse at about 11.30am.
On May 27, the Malaysian Bar voted at an extraordinary general meeting to hold the peaceful protest to uphold judicial independence and to also condemn the MACC investigation against Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.
The MACC investigation followed claims by blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin that there were funds transferred to Mohd Nazlan’s account during his time as the group general counsel and company secretary of Maybank.
Mohd Nazlan was the judge who convicted former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over the misappropriation of RM42mil of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.
Mohd Nazlan lodged a police report against Raja Petra on April 21, denying the accusations which he said were malicious, baseless and aimed at tarnishing his credibility as a judge.
