The issues raised by Mr R Sivarasa ('A sad day for the Malaysian Bar', Aug 25) are always there at the back of mind of lawyers since the Escar uprising of young Turks in the Malaysian Bar in 1978.

Several of these young Turks are now of course very senior lawyers, long past the bar of the 'seven-year' rule under section 46A of the Legal Profession Act. This provision among others prevents lawyers with less than seven years practice from holding positions in the Bar Council.

I believe that in several AGMs post the 1998 sacking of Anwar Ibrahim, more junior lawyers are questioning the move by the Attorney-General to insert section 46A then. As I remember it, there are resolutions to look into the matter.

Council has not acted on these resolutions nor put together all the resolutions passed at AGMs to facilitate discussion in future AGMs. These were brought to the attention of several members of the Bar Council periodically. I fear there may be concerted action to prevent change.

The Bar Council, as any institutions, require reformation. Many junior lawyers do not know the tumultuous history of the Malaysian Bar's skirmishes with the executive and the Attorney-General.

Several groupings of junior lawyers in 1998 and 1999 have tried coming together to discuss the history of the Malaysian Bar. Without real interest of the Bar Council members and senior lawyers in sharing the struggle of the Malaysian Bar and ensuring that these memories at least live on to the next generation of lawyers, there is very little hope in raising the awareness and consciousness of young lawyers on issues of human rights and constitutionalism, even if they are trained in the law.

The lawyers, I think, have become quite inept in addressing real problems of democracy among their own.