The recent emergence of a group of lawyers styling themselves the G100 recently caught my eye. I tried to look at this development from the lens of an ordinary citizen. I followed closely the development of the G100 since the G100 released their Press Statement on 21 February 2015 against Christopher Leong, the then President of the Malaysian Bar, demanding he retract his Press Release made on 11 February 2015 questioning the decision of the Federal Court in respect of the sodomy trial of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and tender a public apology in respect thereof to our judicial body as well as communicate the same to relevant international bodies and entities failing which he should resign.
It was comical that Christopher Leong admitted that he had not read the grounds of judgment of the Federal Court yet saw fit to make a statement questioning the decision of the said Federal Court. As an ordinary citizen one asks how a president of a body that has time and again voiced its views on legal matters and takes pride in its supposed high standard of professionalism could be so careless. The effect of his statement certainly caused and still causes mass confusion on the part of the citizenry, as he was the President of the Malaysian Bar. Unfortunately Christopher Leong chose not to admit his mistake, and in fact tried to deny it in his subsequent Press Release of 26 February 2015 claiming that the Malaysian Bar is supposedly pro-rule of law and pro-justice and neither pro-opposition nor pro-government. Again this is an amusing statement to make, for society knows well the tendency of them and their ilk to issue statements that are clearly biased in favour of the opposition coalition.
Since the first day of the G100’s appearance on the scene of Malaysian issues, vide my reading of the social media, I observed that those uneasy with their emergence promptly branded them as being a creation of UMNO or the government. Without any evidence, G100 was labelled as a grouping that brought with them the agenda of the government of the day or UMNO and as fast as lightning, negative, insulting and slanderous comments were hurled at the G100. Yet the G100 have always maintained that they are non-partisan group that desire only that due respect be accorded the judicial body and the same not be belittled by anyone, moreso the Bar Council, a committee of the body statutorily responsible for the protection of the integrity and sanctity of the national judicial body.
The efforts of the G100 reached their zenith on 14 March 2015 when a motion put fourth by one of its members on their demands made of Christopher Leong was debated and voted upon by members of the Malaysian Bar attending the 69th Bar then held. Quite disturbingly, although not unexpectedly, the motion was defeated by 161 votes in favour versus 1,194 votes against after 4 hours of debate.
It is odd why members of the Bar voting then did not support the motion brought on behalf of G100’s position which sought only to defend the high level of deference that is accorded to the national judicial body. Did they fall for the negative and unsubstantiated comments of the cybertroopers of social media against G100 and thus roundly rejected anything they had perceived to do with the government of the day or UMNO? Or were they actually partisan? Or did they prefer to support their president which had carelessly issued a statement touching upon the integrity of the learned judges of the Federal Court whose judgment was readily accessible to anyone regardless where they were?
My sympathies go to the G100 when they were linked to the government or UMNO. My sympathies also go to the government and UMNO who have no relations whatsoever with the G100. It would seem like the G100 have become victims of perception attacks made by irresponsible and disinterested quarters. The same strategy is used by cyber soldiers of political parties in their pursuit of their political nemeses. I believe the G100 has fallen victim to evil and cowardly efforts that seek to play up political issues and sentiments against the government and UMNO to weaken their credibility although G100 is on the side of truth and champions an issue with no relevance whatsoever to politics. Linking G100 with the government or UMNO was a desperate move on the part of those wishing to momentarily distort the true meaning of the message brought by them.
My sympathies to the G100 for losing the motion but I am of the opinion that were G100 not attacked by negative perceptions and sentiments against the government and UMNO were not played up by cybertroopers, they would certainly have obtained a higher share of the vote. My sympathies also go out to lawyers who are employees that share the same aspirations of the G100 but were caught between these and their employers who were not in favour of the G100. My sympathies are also with the G100 if they lost because they were not supported by members of the Bar Council which were in reality not open, unprofessional and partisan in their conduct towards G100. If such is the position of members of the Bar then certainly G100 would be applauded if they counted within their ranks names such as Ambiga, N Surendran, Latheefah Koya and other pro-opposition lawyers. As fast as lightning G100 would be raised to the position of hero.
I believe that when more members of society get to know and understand the aspirations of the G100, there will be more ordinary citizens such as myself in support of their cause. What is more important is that more legal practitioners will support the G100. Only time will tell. Now I only await the statement of the Bar Council regarding the speech made by Nurul Izzah labelling Federal Court judges deciding in Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s case as selling out to the devil while debating the speech of His Royal Highness the Yang Dipertuan Agong in Parliament on 10 March 2015. It would be interesting to note as the former President of the Malaysian Bar has asserted that they are not pro-opposition and desire to be seen as fair and non-partisan. I also await the next press statement of the G100 and whether members of the Malaysian Bar in particular and the public in general will be more open and fair in their conduct towards the G100.
Hilmy Shamshur Abdul Rahim
Member of i-Peguam
