Those in authority who obstruct lawyers from performing their duties should face criminal charges punishable by at least six months in jail, proposed a lawyer today.

However, for this to happen, the Malaysian Bar will have to first propose an amendment to the 1976 Legal Profession Act to incorporate such a clause, said lawyer P Uthayakumar today.

"There is no such clause to that effect now. Amendments must be made to make those preventing lawyers from carrying out their duties guilty of a criminal offence punishable by at least six months in jail," he told malaysiakini.

He said that his proposal was a result of him and other lawyers experiencing hostile receptions and harassment by the police and other authorities while discharging their duties to their clients.

Uthayakumar said he has already written a letter to the Malaysian Bar, which represents about 10,000 lawyers, to consider his proposal and bring the matter up with the relevant authorities.

Chased away

Uthayakumar said that on March 16, he was subjected to harassment and obstructed from discharging his duties as a lawyer by the police and the Universiti of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) deputy director Latifah Endot.

He said he was at the UMMC to interview his clients, all of whom were victims of the recent communal clashes in Petaling Jaya Selatan which left six dead and 52 injured.

"I was officially engaged to act for the victims on March 13 and since I could not attend to my clients during visiting hours on March 13, 14 and 15, I visited them on March 16 from 1.30pm onwards. I was rudely obstructed from doing my duties at about 3.30pm," he said.

Uthayakumar, who is acting for 15 of the victims, said he was denied his rights to discharge his duties despite having oral and written instructions from the victims to act for them.

"Latifah told me that I could attend to my clients after they were discharged from the medical centre," he said.

Uthayakumar said he has lodged a police report over the incident as he was chased away from the medical centre on the grounds that visiting hours were over.

Authorities ignorant

He said that he was asked to leave despite some of the victims telling the police and Latifah that he was acting on their behalf and was in the midst of taking down statements from them on how they were injured.

He added that the medical centre authorities however allowed MIC and Umno members as well as other police personnel to take down statements from the victims despite it being after visiting hours.

"The authorities should act professionally and not favour any party or have a prejudice against a lawyer acting for his clients," said Uthayakumar.

Uthayakumar said he has learnt that UMMC, too, has lodged a report against him over his insistence on interviewing his clients, adding that he has received a call from the police to record his statement.

"The police, the medical centre security personnel and the authorities, including Latifah, seem to be ignorant and do not have any respect or regard for the Legal Profession Act which provides for the upholding of justice without fear or favour and to protect and assist the public in all matters," he said.