KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar's extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to debate two motions on judicial independence could not proceed after failing to gather a quorum of 500 lawyers on Saturday (July 26).
Bar Council president Ezri Abdul Wahab said only 309 of the 24,000 members in the Peninsula attended, leading to the EGM's dissolution.
"We are disappointed as every EGM requires financial resources, and we aimed to address urgent issues on judicial independence," said Ezri.
This is not the first time a Bar Council EGM has dissolved due to a lack of quorum.
Ezri said the Bar Council will use a resolution from the previous AGM in May, allowing the leadership to defend the judiciary.
"We will use the resolution to proceed with necessary actions. I cannot explain why members did not attend. We hoped younger lawyers would support the motion on remuneration for pupils, but that was not the case," he added.
Ezri believes many issues have been resolved, and members' aspirations have been addressed by the Bar Council.
Bar Council Vice President Anand Raj said the quorum failure does not imply a lack of trust in the leadership.
"It indicates our actions thus far have been sufficient and align with members' expectations. Those who attended wanted to contribute, but the majority have entrusted us with a broad mandate," said Anand.
He noted that 1,600 lawyers participated in a recent walk for an independent judiciary on July 14.
Former Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas and activist Siti Kasim were present at the event.
Lawyer Vince Tan expressed frustration by saying that "500 of 24,000 lawyers could not turn up!"
The first motion, titled "Judicial Independence", was to be mooted by chairman Ezri.
The second motion, "Hold the prime minister accountable for undermining public confidence in the judiciary", was to be proposed by lawyers Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Surendra Ananth.
A third motion, "Implementing a Fair Rate of Minimum Remuneration for Pupils", was by Goh Cia Yee and Vince Tan.
On March 15, the Bar unanimously passed two amended resolutions reaffirming its stance against interference in the judiciary by the executive, legislature, or other unauthorised individuals.
The EGM was called on July 1 amid concerns over the retirement of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who was set to reach the mandatory retirement age of 66.
On July 14, a large group of lawyers gathered outside the Palace of Justice to march in defence of the judiciary’s integrity.
Ezri then submitted a memorandum to Zamri Misman, the legal affairs department’s director-general, on behalf of the Prime Minister’s Office.
The memorandum called for appointing judicial leaders with integrity and a track record of quality judgments and for filling judicial vacancies swiftly to prevent delays in case hearings.
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