Malaysian Bar EGM dissolved over lack of quorum
According to Free Malaysia Today, Bar Council president Ezri Abdul Wahab told reporters that only 309 members were present at the meeting held at Menara Matrade, well short of the 500 members required for the EGM to proceed.
"I am disappointed (that it has been dissolved) because for each EGM we have to spend money," he was quoted as saying in the report.
The EGM had been scheduled after calls emerged on July 1 to debate three motions.
Two of them were focused on safeguarding judicial independence, while the third sought to push for a fairer minimum pay scale for chambering pupils.
Ezri was set to table the motion titled "Judicial Independence". Another motion, aimed at holding the prime minister accountable for what was perceived as a blow to public confidence in the judiciary, had been jointly proposed by lawyers Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Surendra Ananth, and backed by four others.
A separate motion advocating for fairer pupil remuneration, put forward by lawyers Goh Cia Yee and Vince Tan, had received notable support from within the legal fraternity, with 190 lawyers seconding it.
"We felt the young lawyers wanted to speak up and that was why we organised the EGM," Ezri added, expressing hope that more junior members would have shown up.
Former attorney-general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas was among those who attended the meeting.
Responding to a question on whether the poor turnout reflected declining confidence in the Malaysian Bar, its vice-president Anand Raj said, "The majority of members had entrusted us with the motion at the AGM in March.
"That motion passed, and what has happened in the last few months reflects that."
He was referring to the earlier decision by the Bar to mount a legal challenge against the Federal Territories Pardons Board over the reduced prison sentence for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the SRC International case.
This is not the first time a Malaysian Bar meeting has had to be called off due to a failure to meet quorum requirements.
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Malaysian Bar EGM dissolved over lack of quorum
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar's extraordinary general meeting (EGM), which was expected to address key issues on judicial independence, was dissolved after it failed to meet the required quorum, reports said. According to Free Malaysia Today, Bar Council president Ezri Abdul Wahab told reporters that only 309 members were present at the meeting held at Menara Matrade, well short of the 500 members required for the EGM to proceed. "I am disappointed (that it has been dissolved) because for each EGM we have to spend money," he was quoted as saying in the report. The EGM had been scheduled after calls emerged on July 1 to debate three motions. Two of them were focused on safeguarding judicial independence, while the third sought to push for a fairer minimum pay scale for chambering pupils. Ezri was set to table the motion titled "Judicial Independence". Another motion, aimed at holding the prime minister accountable for what was perceived as a blow to public confidence in the judiciary, had been jointly proposed by lawyers Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Surendra Ananth, and backed by four others. A separate motion advocating for fairer pupil remuneration, put forward by lawyers Goh Cia Yee and Vince Tan, had received notable support from within the legal fraternity, with 190 lawyers seconding it. "We felt the young lawyers wanted to speak up and that was why we organised the EGM," Ezri added, expressing hope that more junior members would have shown up. Former attorney-general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas was among those who attended the meeting. Responding to a question on whether the poor turnout reflected declining confidence in the Malaysian Bar, its vice-president Anand Raj said, "The majority of members had entrusted us with the motion at the AGM in March. "That motion passed, and what has happened in the last few months reflects that." He was referring to the earlier decision by the Bar to mount a legal challenge against the Federal Territories Pardons Board over the reduced prison sentence for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the SRC International case. This is not the first time a Malaysian Bar meeting has had to be called off due to a failure to meet quorum requirements.
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a day ago
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KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — The Malaysian Bar's extraordinary general meeting (EGM), convened to debate urgent motions concerning judicial independence, was dissolved today after it failed to meet the required quorum of 500 members, The Star reported. Only 309 lawyers from the Peninsula — out of more than 24,000 members — turned up for the session, prompting the EGM's automatic dissolution under the Bar's rules. Bar Council president Ezri Abdul Wahab expressed disappointment over the outcome. 'We are disappointed as every EGM requires financial resources, and we aimed to address urgent issues on judicial independence,' he reportedly said. The Bar had intended to table and debate three motions, including one titled 'Judicial Independence' led by Ezri himself, and another that sought to 'hold the prime minister accountable for undermining public confidence in the judiciary,' proposed by senior lawyers Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Surendra Ananth. A third motion focused on implementing fair minimum remuneration for pupils, raised by Goh Cia Yee and Vince Tan. Despite the dissolution, Ezri said the council would rely on a resolution passed during its annual general meeting in May, which empowers the leadership to act in defence of 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 told The Star. He added that many issues had already been addressed by the council, which might explain the low turnout. Bar Council vice-president Anand Raj said the lack of quorum should not be read as a sign of disinterest or distrust. '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,' he said. The EGM had been called earlier this month amid concern over the impending retirement of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who was nearing the mandatory retirement age of 66 at the time. Despite Saturday's setback, the Bar Council indicated it will press ahead with its efforts to uphold judicial independence based on its existing mandate.
