KUALA LUMPUR – At least 1,000 lawyers and like-minded individuals are expected to converge at the Padang Merbok car park this morning as part of the Malaysian Bar’s Walk for Judicial Independence.
However, not all participants of the walk, organised in protest of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) probe into senior judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, would be allowed to make the 2.5km march to the Parliament.
The Bar had initially planned to march to the entrance of the Parliament building and hand over a memorandum to the government venting their grouses on the MACC’s actions, which they claimed to have threatened the independence of the judiciary.
Dang Wangi police chief Noor Dellhan Yahaya previously explained to The Vibes that police would only allow a small group of participants to make their way towards Parliament for the memorandum handover.
He cited “security factors” as the reason behind their decision to bar the entire group from marching to the administrative building.
The Vibes’ team on the ground will be providing chronological updates live from the capital. – The Vibes, June 17, 2022
11.23am: The crowd of lawyers in Kuala Lumpur disperses peacefully.
Speaking to The Vibes at the end of the rally, Bar Council vice-president Mohamad Ezri Abdul Wahab said the gathering can be considered a success.
“We would have liked to walk and present it (the memorandum) to Parliament, but things happened,” he said, referring to the police barricade that prevented the group from marching.
On whether the authorities had violated constitutional rights, Ezri said the Bar will look into the matter and go over facts as well as video evidence.
“If there is a course of action, we will most probably discuss how to go about it.”
11.16am - Deputy minister in the PM's Dept (Law) Datuk Mas Ermieyati arrives and receives a memorandum from Bar council president Karen Chia. pic.twitter.com/T68OiGHo4b
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) June 17, 2022
11.16am: Mas Ermieyati arrives and receives a memorandum from Bar Council president Karen Cheah.
In accepting the memorandum, Mas Ermieyati apologised to rally participants for any inconvenience caused during their peaceful march today.
She also promised to submit the memorandum to both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
“May justice for our country’s judiciary continue to be upheld,” she said to cheers from the gathering crowd.
11.00am: At the Kuala Lumpur march, a lawyer announces on the PA system that Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin is on her way to Padang Merbok. The crowd begins to sing Rasa Sayang.
In Kota Kinabalu - Sabah lawyers complete their 2.3km walk to the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex pic.twitter.com/xqC5WaWZCv
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) June 17, 2022
In Sabah, some 130 members of the Sabah Law Society reach the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex, 30 minutes after they left the Damai Multipurpose Hall.
Society president Chin reads his statement, condemning the injustice against members of the judiciary, including the corruption probe into Nazlan.
10.45am - Police have barricaded the one-way street out of Padang Merbok leading onto Jalan Parlimen, obstructing lawyers from continuing with the march. pic.twitter.com/G8IT7DllUh
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) June 17, 2022
10.45am: Police have barricaded the one-way street out of Padang Merbok leading onto Jalan Parlimen, obstructing several lawyers from continuing.
At 10.30am, the group now 500 strong attempt to march towards Parliament but are stopped by a police officer.
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) June 17, 2022
As Bar leadership negotiate with police, other lawyers can be heard shouting "jalan Jalan". pic.twitter.com/5RtKj58ZjR
10.30am: The group in Kuala Lumpur, now 500-strong, attempts to march towards Parliament but are stopped by a police officer.
As Bar leadership negotiate with police, other lawyers can be heard shouting “jalan, jalan!” (walk, walk!).
In Kota Kinabalu - Sabah Lawyers begin their 2.3-kilometre walk from the Damai Multipurpose Hall to the Kota Kinabalu court complex. Sabah Law Society leader Roger Chin said an estimated 130 lawyers took part in the walk. pic.twitter.com/FmmwT9nLfS
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) June 17, 2022
10.15am: In Sabah, lawyers have gathered at Kota Kinabalu’s Damai Multipurpose Hall, the starting point of the Judicial Independence Walk at 10am. The group of around 30 lawyers are expected to start their 2.3km walk at 10.30am.
Sabah Law Society president Roger Chin is seen talking with Kota Kinabalu police chief Mohd Zaidi Abdullah, later indicating to reporters the authorities have no issues with the lawyers carrying on with their Judicial Independence Walk.
There are close to 20 policemen, including plainclothes officers, at the scene.
As of 10:10am, close to 200 lawyers have gathered
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) June 17, 2022
A member of the Bar leads chants of "Hidup hidup" and "Bebas kehakiman". pic.twitter.com/NsjiOYGGlK
Former Bar president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan stresses that the assembly is legal as all the steps under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 have been complied with.
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) June 17, 2022
"To me freedom is freedom, it is a constitutional right." pic.twitter.com/Fs5fHXNm0D
10.00am: Sg Buloh MP R. Sivarasa, commenting on the sidelines of the walk, said investigations initiated against a sitting judge by the MACC was equivalent to an act of intimidation towards the judiciary.
“We all know justice Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali has been involved in a very high-profile case involving Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
“So, the MACC’s action in that context is totally unwarranted and is seen as a threat to the judiciary,” he said.
9.35am: Over 75 lawyers have gathered at the parking lot of Padang Merbok for the Malaysian Bar’s Walk for Judicial Independence. Despite police warnings that the entire group will be prohibited from walking to Parliament, it is understood that they intend to proceed with the march. Those seen here include Bar Council president Karen Cheah, Ipoh Barat MP M. Kula, former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan, and former attorney-general Tommy Thomas.
Bar Council president Karen Cheah explains the event that triggered today’s walk.
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) June 17, 2022
“The disclosure of the name of this judge, a sitting judge, is something that is unprecedented” pic.twitter.com/M6AZv7kUeI
