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(The Star) LAWYERS not proficient in Bahasa Malaysia should not be allowed to become legal officers and judges, reported Utusan Malaysia.
It quoted Malaysian Syariah Lawyers’ Association president Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar as saying that it was important to strengthen the use of Bahasa Malaysia as the official language in the country’s court system. Those who could not speak in the national language should not be allowed to argue in court, he said. “The issue of lawyers and judges who cannot speak in Bahasa Malaysia should have ended 41 years ago when all the important Acts were translated into Bahasa Malaysia,” he said. He was commenting on lawyer Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman’s article, published in Mingguan Malaysia recently, that the use of Bahasa Malaysia in the courts should be expedited. Abdul Aziz said there was a phenomenon in courts where Bahasa Malaysia and English were used at the same time. Zainul Rijal said almost all the debates and proceedings at the magistrate and Sessions courts were conducted in Bahasa Malaysia. However, he said, the use of Bahasa Malaysia was still not at satisfactory level at the High Courts, Courts of Appeal and Federal Courts. He suggested that the Government tighten conditions on the promotion of judges, magistrates, prosecution officers and lawyers to ensure that they were proficient in both Bahasa Malaysia and English. Former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Shaik Daud Md Ismail said the judiciary should act quickly on the issue, including organising Bahasa Malaysia courses for law practitioners. He said this was to ensure that people understood the language when handling the cases.
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