‘Bar Council should remain impartial’
Gerakan criticises the Bar Council for chiding Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who is suing an online news portal
Athi Shankar, Free Malaysia Today
The Malaysian Bar Council president Christopher Leong Sau Foo has compromised the professional body’s independence and impartiality when he criticised Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for suing an online news portal.
Gerakan national legal and human rights bureau chief, Baljit Singh, noted that neither Leong nor the Bar had criticised Pakatan Rakyat leaders for suing the media all these years.
He said the Bar should not make noise only when one initiates legal action against a media entity closely linked to Pakatan Rakyat, while being strangely muted when Pakatan leaders did the same against other media groups.
“The hypocrisy had tarnished the Bar’s image and reputation as an independent body.
“It is shameful and casts doubts on the political impartiality of the Malaysian Bar and its president,” Baljit told FMT here today.
He cited Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as two exemplary Pakatan leaders who had freely slapped lawsuits against various media groups since 2008.
Baljit said the Bar and Leong should explain why they did not utter a single word when the Pakatan leaders filed suits against several mainstream newspapers, online portals, reporters and bloggers.
