The Bar Council has launched the nationwide ‘My Constitution Campaign’ aimed at promoting the concept of constitutionalism and empowering the rakyat on the provisions of the federal constitution.

The launch, held in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, was officiated by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong.

Liew lauded the Bar Council’s move and pledged the government’s support for the campaign.

The launch also witnessed the introduction of a colourful pocket-sized guide for the layperson, titled ‘What is the Constitution?’.

edmund bon gmi lawyer 090805 Eight more guides will be published on various themes during the two-year duration of the campaign.

According to the Bar’s constitutional law committee chairperson Edmund Bon ( left ), the campaign is “by the rakyat and for the rakyat” as it aims to bring the federal constitution to every Malaysian.

“We want to educate you on this constitution, on your rights, so that you can fight your own battles,” he explained.

Important to understand constitution in totality

Meanwhile, Bar Council chairperson Ragunath Kesavan said issues pertaining to the constitution have always been seen in isolation, and this might have created some doubts as it could be taken out of context.

T judiciary forum lingam tape 171107 ragunath herefore, he said, it is important to understand the constitution in totality.

“We would like to see the implementation of the constitution into our education syllabus for children in primary schools in the future,” he added.

In his speech earlier, Liew also summed up the importance of the constitution to define the role of citizens and administrations.

He also stressed that the constitution is the foundation of Malaysia.

After the launch, a forum titled ‘Conversations on the Constitution -What is the Constitution?’ was held.

The speakers were Azmi Sharom, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, Sulaiman Abdullah, Abdul Aziz Bari, Shaq Saleem Faruqi. The session was moderated by former Bar Council chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan.

Currently 100,000 copies of the guide in English and Malay are being distributed to the public.

The campaign is driven by a group of professionals, including academics and journalists, as well as students under the age of 40. The committee has also taken the campaign to Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.