KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — Baffled by the uproar over prominent legal personalities dancing at a gala dinner on Friday night, de facto Deputy Law Minister Hanipa Maidin said the legal fraternity is rich with tradition, including some that may appear Western.
He said that some traditions may seem “very English” and un-Islamic but that people should stop being hypocrites as supporting a former kleptocratic regime was not an Islamic practice too.
“The law fraternity is rich with traditions that may seem unique to some as it is only practised within the legal community,” he said in a statement last night.
“The gala dinner and the dancing that was unnecessarily made a fuss over is in reality part of the tradition,” he said, in reference to Attorney General (AG) Tommy Thomas and Chief Justice (CJ) Tan Sri Richard Malanjum caught on camera dancing on stage at the Opening of the Legal Year Gala Dinner 2019 in Kota Kinabalu.
“Yes, I admit it may seem a little bit Western and is also seen un-Islamic to some of the ‘holier-than-thou’ group, but to have given support, life and oxygen to a kleptocratic regime is also not Islamic or ‘Syariah compliant’. So please stop the act!” the statement read.
The Sepang MP said some of the other traditions practised within the legal community include a “courtesy call” on the judge’s chambers before a “call to the Bar”, which is followed by a feast involving the members of the Bar and judiciary officers.
“When called to the Bar, there will a session of dining in the judge’s robe, which is also a tradition.
“If a junior lawyer dines or drinks with a senior lawyer, the tradition is that the junior lawyer is not allowed to pay for the bill.
“If in court, the lawyers will address our fellow lawyers as ‘my learned friend’, even if we debate in court. When our fellow lawyer is speaking, the opposing party cannot stand up at the same time or else it would be considered very rude. You must sit and respect, it is called ‘judicial decorum’. This is also part of our rich tradition,” he said.
Thomas and Malanjum were criticised for dancing at the said event on Friday, prompting accusation of fraternising and tarnishing the image of the judiciary.
Other prominent figures spotted in the video were de facto Law Minister Datuk Liew Vui Keong, and prominent lawyers and activists Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and Siti Kasim.
