REPORT OF THE COURTS SUB-COMMITTEE

I am proud to say that when the invitations were sent to members of the Perak Bar, the members of the Courts Sub-Committee answered the call to assist the Perak Bar.

It has been a hard year with the constant changes that we as practitioners have had to face what with the numerous changes to the court systems.

We have sent out circulars to the members of the Perak Bar to obtain feedback as to what problems and issues they were facing in dealing with the courts. The feedback received was good and the issues that were raised were then followed up with. The Sub Committee then came up with possible solutions as to how to deal with these issues.

Armed with these complaints and possible solutions, meetings were held with Datuk Zainal and Puan Rasidah and their respective teams. I would like to report that these meeting were very well attended and our suggestions were well received especially by Puan Rasidah and her team. Most of the issues that were raised were dealt with speedily.

The Courts themselves have made efforts to organize meetings with the other stakeholders such as the AG’s Chambers and the Police and invited us to attend and inform them of our problems. During those meetings the Sub-Committee members who were present were able to be frank about what the members’ problems were. These problems were then conveyed to the respective heads of the stakeholders and these problems have been dealt with.

However, on a more cautionary note, these problems have been dealt with and the results have been encouraging but as with all issues not all members of the said stakeholders have been cooperating fast enough. As such it will take time to implement these solutions.

I hope that the incoming members of the Sub-committee will continue where this committee has had to stop.

We, as members of the Perak Bar, must accept that the fast Track system is here to stay. On paper it will improve efficiency in dealing with matters that have been filed in court. However, I must go on record to state that the system can only be effective if the parties to the system cooperate and work together to ensure that the system works. If one component does not see the issues that the other component requires and assists the said component, then the system will fail. As such I humbly seek the cooperation of the members of the Perak Bar to work with the system. If there are any failings or issues, please inform the Perak Bar Committee in writing and the problems that you face will be dealt with by bringing it to the attention of the other stakeholders or components of the system. In short, cooperation and communication are key in ensuring that the system will work for the benefit of all concerned.

I wish to make a plea to the members of the Perak Bar to please contribute your time and effort by either joining the Sub Committee or by writing to the Sub-committee through the Perak Bar Committee, in order that we, as members, can make a difference in our lives.

I wish to thank the members of the sub-committee for all their time and hard work that they have contributed to ensuring that they have made a difference in the practice of law in the state of Perak.

Thank you.

Shan Theivanthiran

Perak Bar Courts Sub Committee.