He said the government had received "numerous complaints" asking whether lawyers were abiding by their profession when they were also members of parliament or state assembly members and that the government was ready to consider public opinion before deciding whether to amend the Legal Profession Act to bar lawyers from politics.
Ibrahim Ali said if lawyers holding political posts also handled cases involving politicians, this could be a breach of the act.
I am not surprised by the intolerant and undemocratic hues of the Barisan Nasional government, but what is most astounding is its preparedness to show its undemocratic and anti-professionalism attitude even before the general election by announcing its plan to ban lawyers from politics.
This is in fact the newest reason why the Barisan Nasional political hegemony must be broken by ending its two-thirds parliamentary majority in next general election to save Malaysia from a new orgy of abuses of power and undemocratic practices should the Barisan Nasional be returned with another landslide election victory, fully in saddle with at least two-thirds command of the Parliamentary seats.
The Barisan Nasional Ministers should explain why the Cabinet has given the greenlight to Ibrahim Ali to consider legislation to ban lawyers from politics, which will be another dishonourable first for Malaysia in Commonwealth and even world history. Is Ibrahim pandering to the ingrained dislike of Mahathir for lawyers, in trying to set the stage for a new battle between the lawyers and medical practitioners so long as Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad is Prime Minister?
It is a tragedy for Malaysia that a legal ignoramus like Ibrahim Ali should be appointed as the government spokesman and minister in charge of law and justice - and it is no surprise that Malaysia has been plunged into the worst crisis of confidence in Malaysia in the adminstration of justice and the Police as independent, impartial and professional custodians of law and order.
DAP calls on the Barisan Nasional Cabinet to direct Ibrahim Ali to abandon all plans to ban lawyers from politics, which will be a grave denial of the civic rights of Malaysians, regardless of their profession. Is the Barisan Nasional seriously suggesting that professionals like lawyers should be categorised as a new class of Malaysians who should be disqualified from serving as MPs, this list to include other professionals in the passage of time, so that Parliament should be the exclusive preserve of the likes of Ibrahim Ali, whose special distinction is to frog-jump from party to party?
(1/10/99)