Malaysian Bar Not Political Party Official Tells Lawyer For Cadet S Family

---

 


A Malaysian Bar official has hit back at lawyer Naran Singh over his criticism that the Bar and DAP are keeping mum over the death of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsudin.
Bar Council Criminal Law Committee co-chairperson S Vivekananda said it was improper for Naran (above, right) to politicise the issue and depict the Bar as another political party, as it was not one.
“It goes even worse to make a comparison between this particular case and the case of Teoh Beng Hock.
“I think it jumps the gun a little bit,” Vivekananda told Malaysiakini.
On Nov 12, Naran, who is representing Syamsul’s family, questioned DAP and the Bar Council's silence on the student's death.
He drew a comparison between Syamsul's case and how the two groups had reacted to Teoh’s death in 2009.
"I am puzzled why no one seemed to care about Syamsul, who died during a Reserve Officer Training Unit (Rotu) exercise in Skudai, especially the Bar Council and DAP.
"When Teoh died, DAP, especially its leaders Lim Guan Eng, Kit Siang, Anthony Loke, Gobind Singh (Deo) and Ramkarpal (Singh), all of them 'turun padang' (hit the ground) to raise funds and to seek justice.
"But in Syamsul's case, why didn’t the Bar Council, and also DAP, take such action, which should be seeking justice.
“This is what the rakyat and I want to know. I hope DAP and the Bar Council can answer my question," Naran said.
Neutrality in some cases
Vivekananda clarified that the Malaysian Bar does not immediately take up private cases that are sensational or with speculation of rights abuses or oppression.
He also pointed out that the group has to remain neutral in certain situations.
“And the family is very well represented by Naran,” Vivekananda added.
However, he said if Naran believes there was a misadministration of justice or any improper management of the case, the lawyer can approach the Malaysian Bar.
“We will assess and send the advocates and solicitors necessary to either watch the brief or intervene, when necessary,” he added.
In Teoh’s case, Vivekananda said it was a case of sudden death, which was suspiciously classified as suicide at first.
The Malaysian Bar, he added, only acted to address the matter after receiving complaints from Teoh’s family and other relevant agencies.
“We did not go and act for Teoh. So, to make that comparison is wrong,” he said. - Mkini

---