Letter to the Editor

I wrote a letter to the editor in response to a letter written by one Mr. Philip Markus who criticized lawyers for joining the 'Walk for Freedom' organized by the Bar Council and which took place on 29 November 2011. It didn't get published considering I wrote to the mainstream media. All's not lost, there is alternative platforms like my trusted blog. Here is my response:

"In civil society there lies a distinction between one who is intellectually dishonest and one who is oblivious. Admittedly, I am placed in the former category, sometimes. In the ‘Views’ column of The Star, a letter by Mr. Philip Markus of Kuala Lumpur entitled “Uphold Law, not violate it” appearing on 01.12.2011 provides the distinction.

Being a lawyer is not all about prosecuting or defending a client’s case in court. Law cannot be practiced in a vacuum. For justice to be done, the entire legal system must work i.e. there must be legislation that conform to the Federal Constitution, a free and independent judiciary, and a robust legal profession that acts without fear or favour. Law being something so close to a legal practitioner’s heart, he is duty bound to interpret, redefine, reinvent and even challenge the law not only to ensure its relevance in meeting the demands of a modern and ever changing world, but also to avoid redundancy and mockery of laws that come into effect.

Many people, presumably including Mr. Philip Markus, often view protests or resistance in any form as the antitheses of loyalty and patriotism. The opposite is true. The true enemy of society is not rebellion, it is apathy.

Like Mr. Philip Markus, I am also a law-abiding citizen. Unlike Mr. Philip Markus, I believe in standing up for my guaranteed constitutional rights whenever the same is under threat of erosion or abolition, because laws that steer away from the Federal Constitution threaten the entire legal system, which in turn threatens the epitome of justice. Perhaps that is why I am a lawyer, and proud of it!"