[This Long Call speech was delivered by Lim Wei Jiet on the 12th of July 2024, before Yang Arif Dato’ Ahmad Kamal bin Md. Shahid]
Introduction
My Lord, it is my great pleasure to introduce the Petitioner, Mr. Edward Lee Way Yang.
The Petitioner was born on the 5th of August 1999. He is the eldest child of Mdm. Lau Sieu Keng and Mr. Lee Seong Thiang. Mdm. Lau and the Petitioner's sister are here with us, but the Petitioner's father is in Hong Kong and unable to make it today.
My Lord, the Petitioner read law in the University of Malaya and graduated in 2023. He was an accomplished student and Pupil. He won, together with Mr. Nevyn Vinosh, the young lawyer category in the KL Bar & Lincoln's Inn Alumni Association of Malaysia Moot Court Competition 2023.
The Petitioner went on to complete his pupillage at Messrs. Sreenevasan under the tutelage of Ms. Sarah Ho Yixin, who has been a dear friend of mine. Indeed, I have worked at Messrs. Sreenevasan for many years with Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan as my Pupil Master, and I have no doubt that throughout his journey as a Pupil, the Petitioner has been instilled with the values of hard work, professionalism, and integrity.
3 Reasons Why The Petitioner Would Be An Excellent Lawyer
My Lord, beyond his academic achievements and pupillage training, there are at least three reasons why I believe the Petitioner will be a valuable addition to the legal profession.
First, the Petitioner is an accomplished leader in the Scouts Movement of Malaysia. He was a King's Scout (Pengakap Raja) in high school, which I know is not an easy thing to achieve, but even beyond his schooling years and until today, the Petitioner is an active mentor to budding leaders. He tells me that he spends most of his free time and weekends going around the district and state to help set up the Scouts Movement in different schools and to train students in this field.
My Lord, when you speak to someone, it will be apparent when that person is deeply passionate about a particular topic, and I can see that expression of passion in the Petitioner when he talks about equipping his Scouts with important life skills, strong values, and character.
The Petitioner tells me he has always been inspired by the last words of the Founder of the Scouts Movement, Lord Baden-Powell, and I quote:
"But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that any rate, you have not wasted your time but have done your best."
My Lord, I can think of no better quote which also, in equal measure, sums up what lawyers should aspire to achieve in our short time on Earth, and that is to try and leave this world a little better than you found it.
Indeed, the Petitioner was inspired to help others and that is one of the major reasons why he chose law as a career. I have no doubt that the Petitioner, as a lawyer, will leave this world a little better than he found it.
Second, the Petitioner also told me that one of the few people who inspired him to take up law were lawyers and activists who played a key role in shaping social movements in Malaysia, such as Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan and Maria Chin Abdullah with the Bersih Movement. The Bersih Movement itself also inspired the Petitioner to take up law.
Back then many people would view peaceful protests as a taboo, but today, it is part and parcel of the Malaysian democratic fabric. Indeed, in the 2019 Federal Court case of Raub Australian Gold Mining, the apex court cited with approval the Court of Appeal's findings that the existence of activist groups are very much a part of today's society, and have contributed much to the general well-being of society at large.
I'm sure the Petitioner will take a leaf from the leaders of the Bersih Movement, that one must always have the courage to stand up, speak up, and be counted upon to uphold the Rule of Law and human rights in Malaysia. As the saying goes, "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance," and lawyers in society play a paramount role in this regard.
Third, the Petitioner, as mentioned earlier by my learned friend, Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan, is also an avid writer. He and Nevyn had started a blog called Hitam Putih which dissects broader societal issues with a legal lens. I know very well that it takes a lot of discispline and time management capabilities to dedicate to writing articles.
I'm sure the Petitioner has become a better person throughout the writing process. More importantly, it shows the Petitioner has a deep interest in the law, such that he is willing to write about it, and it is something I hope he will continue to do.
We do lack proper vigorous legal analysis on the whole socio-political landscape in Malaysia. As my Lord is well aware, more cases are appearing in the BKKK (Bahagian Kuasa-Kuasa Khas) roster. The repercussions of such legal issues should not be confined to the courtrooms, but also disseminated to the public in a digestible manner through writing, and that is what the Petitioner has done.
Who The Petitioner Wishes To Thank
The Petitioner wishes to thank his father, who served in the Air Force with distinction during the Second Malayan Emergency, awarded the Ahli Mangku Negara for responding to the Bank Bumiputra fire in the 1980s, and was thereafter a commercial pilot for many years, and is now serving as a flight instructor. He taught the values of courage, confidence, courtesy, and of course in nation building.
The Petitioner also wishes to thank his mother, who was an air stewardess (and that is how she met the Petitioner's father). Beyond the airline industry, the Petitioner's mother had a successful career managing beauty salons in Malaysia and internationally for over 20 years. She is an inspiration to the Petitioner, successfully balancing her career and caring for her family. The Petitioner also thanks his little sister, who has been supporting him since young.
The Petitioner wishes to thank his Scout Leaders who moulded him to be a better person. The Petitioner also wishes to thank his mentors in Messrs. Sreenevasan — Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan, Ms. Janini Rajeswaran, Ms. Shireen Selvaratnam, Ms. Sarah Ho, Gokul Radhakrishnan, Anishaa Sundramoorthy, Tan Yoong Chang, and others — who have been so patient with him and shown him what a healthy working environment feels like.
The Petitioner also wishes to thank his "bros" from law school — Luc, Thean Ern, Qai Qet, Ignatius, Matthew, Farhan, and Nevyn (some of whom are here today, who I am not sure got leave from their firms to be here) — who has made his university life unforgettable.
The Petitioner lastly thanks his girlfriend, Jhi Ying, for always having his back.
Conclusion
My Lord, given the above, I verily believe that the Petitioner is a fit and proper person to be admitted and enrolled as an Advocate and Solicitor. I believe all the papers are in order, and there are no objections from the Attorney-General's Chambers, Bar Council Malaysia, and the Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee.
[Counsel representing the AGC: No objections]
[Counsel representing the Bar Council of Malaysia: No objections]
[Counsel representing the Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee: No objections]
My Lord, in the circumstances, I pray for the Petitioner to be admitted and enrolled as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.
[Judge: Dengan kuasa yang diberikan kepada saya di bawah Akta Profesion Undang-Undang 1976, Mahkamah dengan ini menerima masuk Edward Lee Way Yang untuk didaftarkan sebagai peguambela dan peguamcara Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya]
Much obliged My Lord, I hereby seek this Honourable Court’s leave for the Petitioner’s Pupil Master to robe the Petitioner.
[Speech has been edited for brevity, and may not entirely be in verbatim]
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