KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar is not perturbed by the emergence of a rival faction of lawyers, who claim to offer an alternative platform for the silent majority of the fraternity, as it believes in freedom of association and expression, its chairman Christopher Leong said.

“We welcome any number of lawyers to freely get together to express themselves. This is part of freedom of expression and public discourse,” Leong told The Malaysian Insider.

He said the Bar Council, which manages the Malaysian Bar, is an entity formed under the Legal Profession Act with stated objectives and regulations.

He said the majority of lawyers in the peninsula have always placed their confidence in the council to do the necessary under the law.

Otherwise, they would voice their dissatisfaction, he said, responding to the claim by the coordinator of the Bona Fide Friends of Umno group that the council does not have the support of the majority of lawyers as only about 3,000 out of 15,000 Bar Council members turn up each time for council elections.

The group’s coordinator, Datuk Razali Ibrahim, had said that the group, established about two weeks ago under the Umno Constitution and Legal Bureau, is not meant to oppose the Bar Council but to balance its stance.

“I feel to gain respect from others we must show that we have the best practices first, but unfortunately today they sound like they have the support of a majority of the members. They sound like they are perfect, but always look down on the system in this country,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama on Wednesday.

Leong said members who disagree with any resolution moved by the council are free to speak out. Citing as example the Sept 19 Bar Council extraordinary general meeting (EGM) where 973 members voted for the council’s resolution to repeal the Sedition Act 1948 and to hold a peaceful walk in protest of the law, Leong said 13 members voted against the resolution while no one abstained.

“Those who were in disagreement with the resolution spoke out. This goes to show that if there are members who disagree, they will turn up. It is therefore logical to assume that a substantial number of members who do not turn up either do not feel strongly against the resolution or are in support,” he said.

“If any of them disagree, they are entitled to be present and if they did not turn up, it should be assumed that the silent majority by and large are in agreement with the proposed resolutons.”

Leong said this is how annual general meetings (AGMs) and EGMs work, where eligible members are allowed to express their opinions. He said notices and resolutions are sent to all 15,000 members every time AGMs and EGMs are held.

Razali, a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and also Umno Supreme Council member, said the Bona Fide Friends of Umno group is open to all law practitioners, including law students, and is targeting 5,000 members. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on November 21, 2014.