The Bar Council extraordinary general meeting (EGM) that was put off last month will be held on Nov 22.


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 Council president S Ambiga announced this at a forum entitled 'Walk for Justice Part 2 - The Walk is Over, Now It's Time to Talk' at the Bar Council last night.


 "The secretariat has confirmed the EGM to discuss the status of the judiciary will be held in Nov 22 at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur.


 "There is still one more meeting to set everything in place," she said.


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 The EGM was initially slated for Oct 6 but was postponed after the government formed a panel to investigate the authenticity of the video that showed senior lawyer VK Lingam talking on the phone, apparently brokering the appointment of judges with Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, who was the chief judge of Malaya then.


 However, the panel led by former Chief Judge of Malaya Haidar Mohd Noor recently revealed that the panel failed to get a single report after three weeks.


 The council, which represents the country's 13,000 lawyers, has previously
 
 
 <a href="/news/72999" target="_blank">
 said
 </a>
 
 
 that the EGM will be held if they are dissatisfied with the panel's findings.


 
 
 Boycott still in the pipeline
 
 


 Ambiga also said that the council will see how Ahmad Fairuz's scheduled retirement on Oct 31 goes before deciding whether lawyers will boycott cases heard by him.


 "If (the extension) happens then we'll have to do something about it. We are not adverse to the issue of boycotting - it is very much on the line," she said.


 <img align="right" alt="" border="0" height="225" hspace="5" src="http://corp.malaysiakini.com/cms/ib/data/4/100/25107.jpg" style="WIDTH: 150px; HEIGHT: 225px" width="150"/>
 The forum organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar's Young Lawyers Committee also saw prominent human rights lawyer Haris Ibrahim (
 
 right
 
 ) urging the public to make the judiciary crisis an election issue in order for the government to act quickly upon it.


 "We need to make this an election issue. I think if it's loud, strong and forceful enough they will consider to take up this issue. You want to force the hand that appears to be in no hurry to get this right.


 "I think where it would hurt them the most (through the elections) and they would see that it is not just the opposition lawyers but the people who want a clean judiciary.


 "It's really down to us and the stand we make. I want a reformed judiciary and my stand is non-negotiable. As far as I'm concerned, I'm taking this issue to the ballot box," Haris told the crowd.


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 Another speaker law academician Dr Azmi Sharom (
 
 left
 
 ) said the government has abused the trust given to them by the judiciary and the public.


 The University of Malaya professor explained that judges had always trusted the government to enact legislation that carries the spirit of the constitution.


 "However, if you read (former Chief Justice) Tun Mohamed Suffian Hashim's work, underlying his writing is deep disappointment as to how the government abused the trust that has been given to them (by the courts)," he said.


 The forum was attended by about 100 people.


 
 <a href="/news/72772" target="_blank">
 SPECIAL REPORT: The Lingam tape
 </a>

<img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="64" hspace="2" src="http://corp.malaysiakini.com/cms/ib/data/2/83/20925.jpg" style="WIDTH: 64px; HEIGHT: 64px" width="64"/>
 The Lingam tape
 

The Bar Council's extraordinary general meeting will be held if members are dissatisfied with the independent panel's findings of the Lingam tape.

Nov 22 - Bar Council's EGM is on

~RM12

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