Fine To Dance But Why Go Up On Stage Asks Muslim Lawyers Group

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A screenshot of a video clip showing lawyers and top members of the judiciary dancing at the OLY 2019 gala dinner in Kota Kinabalu.PETALING JAYA: The Muslim Lawyers Association of Malaysia (PPMM) today said there is nothing wrong with the trademark dancing at the Opening of the Legal Year (OLY) 2019, but asked why the chief justice got on stage
Its president Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar said Chief Justice Richard Malanjum, Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak David Wong Dak Wah, Attorney-General Tommy Thomas and de facto law minister VK Liew should have turned down the invitation to go up on stage
“In my view, it is not an offence for the organisers of the OLY 2019 to have performances to enliven the dinner. This is because this is done in Sabah and Sarawak,” Zainul Rijal said in a statement
“The issue is not about the dinner and the performances but about why these high-ranking individuals from the judiciary danced and were seen to be friendly with other government branches and private lawyers
“Even though they were invited to the stage, to protect the sanctity of the institution that they lead, they should have rejected the offer.”The four were seen in a clip dancing to the tune of “Let’s Twist Again” along with lawyers Siti Kasim and Ambiga Sreenevasan at the event co-hosted by the Sabah Law Society (SLS) and the Advocates Association of Sarawak (AAS) in Kota Kinabalu on Friday
In a separate statement, AAS president Ranbir Singh Sangha refuted any suggestion of impropriety and said it was done in good taste
He said it was disappointing that certain quarters were attempting to misinterpret a “social and harmonious occasion reflecting our East Malaysian hospitality” and politicise it for whatever reasons
“Those who criticise may not know about the morals and ethics that are culturally held high in East Malaysia at such events
“The AAS will, in fact, invite the chief justice, the attorney-general and judges in attendance to enter into a dance competition with the advocates and other invited guests at the next OLY 2020 to be held in Sarawak,” he said
SLS president Brenndon Soh had earlier also said it was disappointing that certain groups were attempting to politicise the matter
In a separate statement, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of legal affairs Mohamed Hanipa Maidin said the incident had been blown out of proportion
He said the function was just another tradition of the legal fraternity whose other customs, sometimes regarded as “very English”, include a “call to the bar” by trainee solicitors and using expressions like “my learned friend” in court
“The dinner and dance which has been turned into a ‘hot topic’ for no reason is, in fact, one of these traditions
“Yes, I admit it may look a bit western and seen by the ‘holier-than-thou’ as not shariah-compliant
“But, for me, supporting and giving ‘life’ and ‘oxygen’ at one time to a kleptocratic regime is also not very Islamic or shariah-compliant,” he said
Several leaders from both sides of the political divide have also criticised the conduct of the top members of the judiciary at the event
PKR’s Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said members of the judiciary must be mindful about their conduct, while Umno’s Khairy Jamaluddin recalled criticism at former AG Mohamed Apandi Ali for dancing with ministers. - FMT

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