K Ragunath was elected the new president of the Bar Council at its 63rd annual general meeting today. He succeeded S Ambiga who held the post for the past two years.

Elected vice-president was Lim Chee Wee, secretary George Varughese with Tony Voon as treasurer. They will serve for the 2009/2010 term ( photo ).

bar council agm 140309 ragunath Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Ragunath pledged to bring up issues of public interest and which concern the welfare of its members. He would also strive to “build decent relationship with the government and various stakeholders”.

“We have a good relationship with Chief Justice Zaki Azmi and we will also work closely with the judiciary...with this constructive role, we will cooperate with the government for the betterment of the public,” he said.

More BN than Pakatan members

Ragunath further denied suggestions that the Bar Council has not escaped from a popular perception that it is ‘pro-Opposition’ because most of its members are believed to be Pakatan members.

“You would be surprised many Bar Council members are from Barisan Nasional rather than Pakatan Rakyat...but we would definitely support any party that brings positive changes to the country,” he clarified.

On another matter, Ragunath agreed with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz that “no one is above the law” including the Bar Council.

“I agree that we are not above the law. Being responsible members of the public, we work in the best interest of the public and the profession. I agree with him (Nazri) that we cannot be treated differently from anybody else...if there is any action against us, so be it,” he said.

On the warning from Selangor Islamic Council (MAIS) to the Bar for conducting a public survey on the use of ‘Allah’ in non-Muslim holy books on their website, Ragunath said even though the matter is on-going in court, “it is nevertheless an issue of public interest”.

“We have posed many questions on the website, such as whether we are happy with the judiciary or the public force. It is strictly for public opinion and not binding of anyone, not even to the Bar Council,” he said.

Four public interest motions

At the meeting earlier, four ‘public interest’ motions were adopted unanimously. They included Orang Asli rights, detention without trial, deaths in custody and hillside development.

“For Orang Asli rights, we will address the issues of ancestral lands and this has given the Bar Council the mandate to continue with appropriate measures to help and defend their rights under the constitution”, said Ragunath.

The AGM also adopted the detention without trial motion and urged the government to immediately release all persons in detention under the Internal Security Act.

kugan ananthan funeral 230109 The deaths in custody motion also received unanimous support. This was proposed following a public uproar on a controversial death of 22-year-old alleged car thief A Kugan two months ago.

“This is not an isolated case because looking at statistics, more than 80 cases had happened in the last three years. We are concerned that no independent investigation have been made into these deaths,” explained Ragunathan.

Other motion was passed including hillside development which the Bar Council opined that local authorities should be removed from its immunity for approving hillside projects.