Lawyers to debate govt’s influence over profession’s qualifying board

2026-03-13 - 23:54

The Bar Council wants legal education and the regulation of qualifications for admission to practise to remain independent, merit-based and not be politicised. PETALING JAYA: Lawyers at the Malaysian Bar’s 80th annual general meeting today are set to debate a motion condemning what they describe as executive interference in the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB) and the regulation of legal education. The motion, to be proposed by chairman Ezri Abdul Wahab on behalf of the Bar Council, calls on the government to repeal recent amendments that the Bar says will give the executive undue influence over the board. According to the motion, the Bar wants legal education and the regulation of qualifications for admission to practise to remain independent, merit-based and not be politicised. The Bar said the amendments allow the executive to influence the LPQB through powers of appointment, removal and financial control, while reducing the Malaysian Bar’s representation on the board. It also claims the government failed to engage in good-faith consultation before tabling the changes. Among the contested provisions is the expansion of the LPQB from five to 13 members, with the law and institutional reform minister empowered to revoke the appointments of seven members without giving reasons. The amendments, passed by Parliament last year, received royal assent and were gazetted last month. The Bar had previously warned that the new powers could politicise the LPQB, citing risks to independence and transparency. The government has said the amendments are intended to strengthen the LPQB’s structure and governance while ensuring broader representation from stakeholders across the legal profession. Ezri has also proposed a separate motion calling for prosecutorial independence through the separation of the offices of the attorney-general and the public prosecutor. Another motion to be debated seeks to strengthen the independence of sessions court judges and magistrates, including structural separation within the judicial and legal service. ‘Quiet’ elections Meanwhile, the Bar’s 2026/2027 office-bearer elections are expected to proceed quietly, with indications that only the treasurer’s post may be contested. Sources said directly elected council members Yasmeen Shariff and Peter-Douglas Ling are likely to compete for the position currently held by R Jayabalan. “A silent campaign by parties lobbying council members to vote for either Yasmeen or Ling,” a source told FMT. With Ezri completing his two-year term at the helm, vice-president Anand Raj is expected to be elected unopposed as president. Incumbent secretary Murshidah Mustafa is likely to move up to vice-president, with Jayabalan widely tipped to take over as secretary. However, contests have emerged at the last minute in past Bar elections. Under Section 54(1) of the Legal Profession Act, the president, vice-president and secretary may not hold office for more than two consecutive years. The 42-member Bar Council – comprising 16 members elected by a nationwide ballot of lawyers, two representatives from each of the peninsula’s 12 state bar committees, and the immediate past president and vice-president – will elect the four office-bearers for the next term after the conclusion of the annual general meeting. Former Bar president Salim Bashir said turnout could still be high despite the meeting falling during Ramadan. “The quorum for the meeting is 500, but this number can be extremely high if lawyers in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor make it a point to be present,” he said, adding that several interesting and pressing motions would be debated.