Friday, February 27, 2009

FRIDAY GUEST BLOGGER: MALIK IMTIAZ SARWAR

In my passage through life, many have captivated my attention, many have mentored me, many have moved me, many too have touched my life, many have kicked my butt out of complacency and inertia, many exhumed me out of the sarcophagus of the living dead and into believing that in a little way I can still contribute to the betterment of this distressed country.Many of them were former students, but most were mavericks, wanderlusts, rightists, leftists, centrists, agnostics, atheists, 2 Marxists, men of religion and residents of Pudu Jail, But they were all human beings. Over the years these people, through personal contacts or through their writings and discourses have contributed their brush-strokes to my canvas. Mine is not a masterpiece yet; many deft strokes would have to be added.

Today I feature a savant, and like all savants, irritatingly unassuming but always sharp, impactful, decisive, incisive, insightful and pregnant with razor-sharp flair. Listening to him in court is always an intellectual treat. That is the Malik Imtiaz I know and over a short spell, have clinked many glasses straight up. and swirled our tongues, thus serving justice, over some good cubans. Yes, he too have added some brush-strokes and high-lights onto my life-canvas.


But of course, he has a column in the recently rejuvenated Malay Mail. But who reads MM actually. I produce his latest for the benefit of my readers:

Serving justice, straight up

It took me a while to understand that in as much as contract, commercial, criminal, constitutional or any other field of law was important, the existence of a functioning system by which the law was applied and enforced was far more crucial. For without such a system, it would not matter at all that there were laws.

When I first graduated from law school, I believed that all things said and done we had such a system. I am almost certain now that we do not.

We have courts, some of them in very opulent buildings that are akin to palaces. We have judges at all levels, be it at the subordinate courts or into the dizzying heights of the judicial hierarchy. There is in place an Attorney General’s Chambers from which spring a number of federal counsel and deputy public prosecutors who represent the State in its legal endeavours. They are complemented by a host of lawyers who, together with their counterparts from the civil service, apply laws that have been duly enacted by legislative chambers and Parliament respectively.

Impressive, one could say. I however reserve my judgment. Just like cameras, there are “point and shoot” lawyers and judges, and there are the far more sophisticated and capable ones. Both serve their purpose but one category serves it far better, something to think about considering the legal system is one whose standard cannot be compromised for any reason at all. Lives, in the widest sense, are at stake. They are being put at risk by the kind of individuals being allowed into the system.

All this however does not directly answer the question of whether the system is one that is functioning effectively. In this, it must be understood that the ultimate arbiter of whether a legal system is effective is the public that the system is intended to serve. The level of public confidence in the system is the only yardstick by which this effectiveness can be measured.

The stark reality is that the average Malaysian entertains grave doubts about the integrity or competence or both of those who make up the system (and in this, I tar lawyers with the same brush). From a public confidence standpoint, it could be said that the system is not functioning.

We cannot blame them for so doubting. Controversy upon controversy, many of which were unnecessary and avoidable, have impacted. Suspicions have been given foundation by the findings and recommendations of a Royal Commission of Enquiry that lambasted the system and urged urgent corrective measures. One cannot fault the average Malaysian for thinking justice is no longer the sacrosanct quality that it is meant to be, having instead transformed into something pliable that can be moulded to convenience.

This has had ramifications it seems. Malaysians have no alternative but to take their cases to the courts, it is the only way in which they can have their legal disputes resolved. Faced with a system that they have come to perceive as lopsided and pliable, it appears that they have attempted to improve, or at the very least even out, their odds where they have been able to do so. If the system were seen and understood to be unyielding, this would not be occurring.

It is perception that fuels belief that the system is hardly working as it should. As a lawyer, this saddens me, not because I think it is an unfair assessment but because I can see why it is they might believe this to be the case. Over the last twenty years the Judiciary has taken a beating, inside and out. It seems like every Chief Justice since Tun Dzaiddin started his term with laudable declarations concerning the need for reform only to subsequently find that the problem areas were so entrenched that resolving them was neither easy nor possible in their limited terms of tenure. Promises unfulfilled have deepened distrust.

It is high time that those who manage the institutions in ours system of justice wake up to the hard truth that mere rhetoric and superficial changes will not serve any purpose in attempts to rebuild confidence. Efforts must be real and driven by a desire to deliver to Malaysians objective justice at its keenest. It is not enough to say that there are those in the system who do just that. Though that may be the case, there are seemingly those who do not. It must be understood why this is the case and what can be done. The situation is desperate and calls for extreme measures.

Crucially, the system must be seen to be delivering justice. It is a cardinal rule of justice that not only must it be done, it must be seen to be done. The appearance of impartiality is paramount in building public confidence in the system. In this, standards must be seen to be applied uniformly, without exception. Explanations as to why they are not, do not go very far in explaining away the fact that they are not.

Perception is key. Without the public having confidence in the system, justice will never be served
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8 comments:

GobloKing said...

wah not only handsome but intellectual.

next time you chink glasses with him, tell me. But make sure very dark place, with hair extentions, very hard to see aunty is an aunty.

on a serious note, personally I find that law and justice serves primarily those who knows how & who to manipulate it to their advantage. sad commentary on life ain't it?

Anonymous said...

Ramazi

I can see in your eyes the desperation and frustration over our system that is failing too fast. I dont know where we are heading , is it Somalia. Every politician is thinking of the next election but there are no statemen thinking of the next generation. I am old and worry of the future of Malaysia by beloved nation, the people and my children.

Anonymous said...

Very neatly said in a nutshell on the Justice system in Malaysia. Ooops, sorry, not so much the system but the mess and heaps of elusive justice you find on the judicial landscape in this country. What was aptly said also happens to apply appropriately on the local and federal politics. Every PM who appears and supposedly representing the rakyat was a letdown to say the least. The former PM was super-efficient but he bred a gang of thugs and quick billionaires during his 30 years of premiership. The current PM is totally inefficient by comparison. The perception of politics and our politicians receive the same negative image on the minds of the rakyat as the Judiciary. And UMNO youth? Shameful on their parents, UMNO. Both of the same kind. No better than thugs and rascals and the big bullies. Kick em out as both have outlived their purposes in Malaysia.
malsia1206

Unknown said...

Certainly. Those who dispense justice do so in full view of their public. Perhaps they failed to see or too callous in their regard, that the gallery they played to has become less cowed and more impatient for fairness to be meted. Judges too are likewise judged.

Anonymous said...

Malik Imtiaz, the smooth operator.. killer miller within!

flyer168 said...

Gone are the days of the Established, Honourable Malaysian TUANS of Bapa Malaysia Tunku & his 1st Cabinet Ministers’ VALUES of Westminster style democracy & the Rule of Law.

In this Bolehland, the Ketuanan Malay, Muslim Hadhari UMNO Beggars & their Lapdogs have their own version = Gutter Politics & Law of the Jungle ala Kindergarten style Jaguh Kampung.

Cheers.

Whatif said...

Yes, gone are the good old days when we could expect fairness and justice from our judiciary. Since the late 80's, I have the feeling that most cases are foregone conclusions even before the judges give their verdict.

Just as one man has torn down this important pillar of democracy, we would pray for another man to restore it.

We still have the last pillar of democracy to work towards this end. Yes, we the Rakyat, must reclaim our beloved Malaysia and restore our homeland to her full glory.

Anonymous said...

Everyone!

Who's the father of a child porn trafficker??