Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Restraining Order Against Sivakumar?

The Court had allowed a Restraining Order against The Speaker of the House, YB Sivakumar "from convening any unlawful meetings purportedly to be state assemblies" - Malaysiakini.
---
I am not going through the merits of the case here, but it was rightly pointed out by YB Kulasegaran that the State Legal Advisor cannot represent the "Government" against YAB Mohd Nizar in the KL case and represenitng the "Speaker" against "Zambry & its junta" in the Ipoh case.
---
It is a rule of ethics and practice of a legal professional that he cannot represent a client in a case whle he is acing against the client in another case. This is the basic professionalism that any legal professional has to adhere.
---
Doens't the learned State Legal Advisor know this simple principle which a first year law student or a reasonable man on the street will logically knows?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't you know that what they say or do is the law? They have become so arrogant and now capitalising on the Rulers to back them when during the mahathirism period, they are the ones who curtailed the Sultan's power.
Just wait and see the Najibism era. It will be wort than Mahathirism.

Anonymous said...

quoted from Malaysiakini's Chinese Site. Unless the case is run in UMNO's court, they have no legal rights to fight.

As for the new political era, rakyat can fight for the right of killing and right of corrupting -- Malaysia Boleh -- he he he....

律师公会主席安美嘉(左图)指出,在霹雳州所发生的宪政危机,是史无前例并涉及复杂的司法议题,虽然无法针对所有的事件作出总结,但是有些课题仍可以透过普世的原则来作出判断。

警方违抗议长听取错误劝告

她指出,今日共有27名霹雳州议员遭怡保警区主任挡驾进入州政府大厦,禁令显然是州议会秘书所发出的。

“如今州议会秘书的角色开始受到检视,他是一名公务员,仅是负责州内的行政事务。因此州议会秘书无权决定或诠释,究竟一场州议会是合法还是非法。所以警方已经错误地听取其劝告,并违抗州议长的命令。”

安美嘉认为,怡保高庭接下来所发生的事件,更加剧了这些错误。

议长没委任州法律顾问抗辩

在法庭上,身为辩方的国阵律师认为,议长应该由州法律顾问所代表,而非由私人律师所代表。安美嘉认为,虽然这个看法拥有法律上的根据,但是必须更深入地使用普世原则,来检视州法律顾问的地位。

首先,每个律师必须先获得其客户的委托。议长已经表明他不曾委任州法律顾问代表或为他抗辩。这是法庭必须在还未开庭之前须先证实的一件事。

委州法律顾问产生利益冲突

其次,安美嘉表示,州法律顾问的身份拥有利益冲突。因为,目前在吉隆坡高庭开审的“民联大臣起诉国阵大臣”一案中,州法律顾问正代表国阵大臣赞比里进行抗辩,因此他怎么能够在另一边厢又代表议长,对付赞比里呢?

她说,如果控辩双方对于案件有信心的话,那么就不应该以任何行动破坏案件的公正与公平,导致审讯蒙上污点。

她重申,正义不仅要获得实现,更要以人们看得见的方式加以落实。法庭有责任秉持最高的正义、公正和独立原则,而三权分立的原则须受尊重,必须维护联邦宪法。

议长毫无选择行使广泛权力

针对议长西华古玛今早改在州政府大厦附近的停车场,召开紧急州议会的举措;安美嘉表示,西华古玛是在毫无选择之下,被迫使用其广泛的权力,在议会厅外的地点举行紧急议会。

她说,虽然此举可能掀起争议,但须了解的是,目前的局势是史无前例的,而且议会常规也不足以概括所有的可能性,因此议长有权依据当时的情况运用其权力。

她指出,议长和州议员被警方阻止进入议会厅,已经让人严重质疑警方行动的合法性。

她说,她不奇怪有人会对此事再次入禀法庭,而民众将继续面对不稳定的局势。

安美嘉坚持,重新举行选举是唯一能够解决当今的不稳定局势,随着紧急州议会议决解散州议会,已经开启了一扇机会之窗,来重新举行选举,让人民做出选择。