Book Shelving in Malaysian Bookstores
Of this I am certain: most staff in Malaysian bookshops are not readers. By readers I mean, regular readers of books, magazines, websites, and other written material. Reading is a …
The Death Penalty
Are you for or against the death penalty? I have never liked that question because it demands an absolute binary answer. It is either a yes or a no, with …
Adducing Evidence after Trial
In a civil or criminal case, all the evidence in support of a civil claim, criminal prosecution or defence to either of them must be brought before the trial judge …
Judiciary Recorders
Don’t worry, I am not pitching to sell the judiciary a new Court Recording and Transcription (CRT) system. The Recorders I am referring to are the English Recorders: appointed barristers …
Bila di Bawa Bincang | Episod 9 dan 7
So there was this time a couple of years ago, I was invited to be on one out of 13 episodes for a talk show series called Bawa Bincang. It …
The Ethics of Applying for an Adjournment
The way I was raised, a court date is a sacred date. It must be attended. Unless I was very ill or about to die, an adjournment is out of …
All for one and one for all
Though the law was not my first choice and chosen for me, what matters, in the end, is that I answered when called. Having dwelled in the realm of legal …
‘Always read your file before going to court’
This piece of advice was given to me by my father before I commenced my pupillage. The longer version was along the following lines: Before you go to court, you …
23 Years at the Bar
I was called on 6 August 1999. Today I marks the completion of 23 full years in legal practice. I enter my 24th year in practice tomorrow. I always celebrate …
The Ayer Molek Case | Part Three
On 4 September 1995, the Bar Council issued a further statement: The Bar Council notes the comments attributed to Chief Justice Tan Sri Eusoff Chin in today’s newspapers. We would …
Recording Police Arrests or Raids is not an Offence
Hamzah Zainuddin, the Home Minister, was reported to have said that recording or live streaming the police carrying out arrests or raids was an offence pursuant to section 186 Penal …
Will you still come see me?
There is a good friend of mine whom I have regular late night conversations with on a regular basis. I moved his call many years ago. We have been friends …
The Ayer Molek Case | Part Two
Preface: Some time ago, some friends and I noticed there is no comprehensive account of our Malaysian legal history available. There is a void in our national consciousness about the …
Templates | Its Use and Abuse
A lawyer’s use of templates and precedents is often mocked. “All you do is copy and paste from the other agreements.” “You just use a previous application and change a …