By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, March 1: The High Court here fixed April 12 to rule on whether to set aside the order by Chief Justice of Sabah and Sarawak (CJSS) Datuk Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim to admit former Chief Justice of Malaysia Tan Sri Richard Malanjun as an advocate in Sarawak.
Both Richard and former Chief Justice of Sarawak and Sabah Tan Sri David Wong Dak Wah are Sabahans and had applied to be members of the Sarawak Bar in 2020.
Malanjum retired in April 2019, and Wong retired in February 2020.
On Sept 15, 2020, Abang Iskandar allowed Malanjum to be a member of the Sarawak Bar and allowed Wong’s application on February 2, 2021.
On August 26, Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan had applied to intervene to safeguard Sarawakian lawyers’ interest and to ensure that lawyers from outside Sarawak will be blocked from practising in the state, arguing the interest of practising lawyers in Sarawak as provided by the Federal Constitution is based on the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
On Sept 15, 2020, Abang Iskandar expressed satisfaction that Richard is a fit and a proper person to be a member of the Sarawak Bar and had allowed Malanjum to be admitted as a member of the Sarawak Bar.
Wong was allowed to be a member of the Sarawak Bar on February 2, 2021.
Voon then had filed an application to the High Court to set aside the order of advocate admission under Sarawak’s Advocates Ordinance 1953 for both Richard and Wong.
High Court Judicial Commissioner Alexander Siew How Wai today fixed April 12 to rule on whether to set aside the order of advocate admission for Richard.
Voon had also filed an application to set aside the order of advocate admission under Sarawak’s Advocates Ordinance 1953 for Wong. The High Court fixed April 5 to hear this application.
Malanjum and Wong were represented by Chong Siew Chiang, Tan Kee Heng and Michael Kong whereas Voon was represented by Lim Heng Choo and RJ Noel. — DayakDaily
