The Bar Council and the Legal Profession Qualifying Board had sent a professional team to our university, University Utara Malaysia in October 2008 to determine whether our law students should be exempted from the CLP exam. However, what is the final decision made from this ‘long’ evaluation period?

Yes, the Bar Council had since clarified on the matter above but no constructive opinion was given. None of the relevant parties have give us a confirmative answer on when they will reveal the evaluation result.

So many explanations were given by the Bar Council and our university. The university keeps convincing us by saying that they have full confidence they will get the exemption. We have been told this ever since we entered the university in the year of 2004, our first semester in UUM.

They also said they will recognise us as lawyers when the first batch students graduated from UUM. Now, the third batch of law students are going to step out from the university. Nevertheless, they seem only to dismiss us with the same answer!

I’m as one of the UUM law graduates who is truly disappointed with Malaysia’s education system. It has been more than one year since our first batch of seniors graduated in January 2008. What have these responsible parties done during this period?

Struggling with political issues or welfare matters? Shouldn’t they attach importance to the future of the new generations especially undergraduates from local universities like us.

What I can see is that every party only passes the buck to another for example, by saying the power to exempt UUM law graduates from the CLP examination is vested with the Legal Profession Qualifying Board. However, can they do something to expedite this matter?

There are so many rumours from last year saying that a final decision will disclosed soon but when will it be? Why has the Legal Profession Qualifying Board never responded openly to our inquires and questions?

Some of the law courses offered in local universities themselves are not recognised by the government and the Bar Council. How then do parents today pass a motion of confidence in local universities? You can’t blame parents nowadays if they call into question the quality of local universities.

We are really in an awkward situation. Why do local universities offer such law courses as these if the degree recognition is not done from the beginning? I struggled for four years doing my law degree at UUM. Our average credit hours are 157 (exclusive of tutorial hours).

I can say UUM’s law course’s syllabus is no different from other universities. Our university is equipped with the international standard facilities like tutorial rooms, lecture halls, a library and a moot-court. So, why are we being left in limbo for so long?

We are in the middle of sea with nobody being able go ashore. Some of us are from low-income families. We had been studying so hard so that we can support our families when we graduate. However, I can’t see any future when the degree recognition from the Legal Profession Qualifying Board takes more than one year.

We can’t do our pupilage like others and don’t even talk of getting a professional job like a legal assistant. Some of us only work as tuition teachers, clerks in legal firm, salesmen and some are even unemployed.

Doesn’t it sound like a waste of one’s talent when one is equipped with legal knowledge like us? Please consider our situation. Give us an opportunity to prove that we are capable of practicing as an advocate and solicitor in the Malaysian legal profession.

We would be so grateful if you could make our dream come true.