Parliamentarians today commended the government's move to amend a discriminatory provision in the Legal Profession Act (LPA) 1976 which barred lawyers with less than seven years of experience to stand for the Bar Council elections.

However, they said two other discriminatory provisions in the Act that prohibit MPs, state assembly representatives, office bearers of political parties and unionists to run for the election should also be reviewed.

"These provisions are unfair and undemocratic. Lawyers are mature and should be given the right to elect who they feel can articulate for them," said lawyer-politician M Kula Segaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) during his debate on the Legal Profession (Amendment) Bill 2006.

"The section has archaic and outdated provisions which the government should have the foresight to do away with," he told the Dewan Rakyat while welcoming the earlier amendment.

Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Ipoh Gajah), who is a lawyer by training, described the amendment as 'half sincere' because it still denied the right of politicians and unionists to run for the council elections and this is against the constitutional spirit of equality.

Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) also echoed similar views.

Bar Council president Yeo Yang Poh, who together with other office bearers, was also present to follow the debate.

Met later, he said the council was always of the view that the entire Section 46A should be removed.

Quorum reduced

Under the bill, Section 46A(1)(a) - the provision barring young lawyers from contesting - will be deleted if the amendment is passed. However Section 46A(1)(b) and (c) concerning politicians and unionists will remain.

Another main amendment in the bill is that the quorum for the Malaysian Bar - which represents some 12,000 lawyers in the country - to be able to conduct an annual general meeting will be fixed at 500, as opposed to the current one-fifth of its membership (approximately 2,400) requirement.

Another lawyer-politician Wong Nai Chee (BN-Kota Melaka) described the significant reduction in the quorum as a positive development since it will "free the Malaysian Bar from headaches on the need to constantly adjourn the AGM".

However, during the winding-up, de facto law minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz shot down the idea of removing the provisions that bar politicians and unionists from running in the council's elections.

"We want the Bar Council to be independent and free from political thinking," he said.

"If one day politicians can become the president of the Bar Council, can they separate their political belief from the Bar Council? Very difficult," he added.

The minister will continue his winding-up tomorrow when the Dewan Rakyat reconvenes.