Lawyer slams WhatsApp campaign promoting 15 Malay candidates, 1 Chinese in Bar election

Lawyer slams WhatsApp campaign promoting 15 Malay candidates, 1 Chinese in Bar election

PETALING JAYA: A lawyer running for the Bar Council’s election has slammed the distribution of campaign material on WhatsApp promoting the candidacy of 15 Malay members and a Chinese lawyer from Kelantan.

Al-Sabri Ahmad Kabri, one of the 16 lawyers named on the list, said he had no knowledge who created the campaign material.

“It’s not endorsed by those listed. We deny any involvement in the creation and distribution of this misleading list,” he told FMT.

“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the principles of fairness and professionalism,” he added.

Al-Sabri also urged voters to make their decisions based solely on the qualifications, integrity and capabilities of the candidates, rather than being swayed by baseless claims or racial rhetoric.

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“Choosing not to vote for candidates based on such fabricated lists only serves the agenda of those attempting to manipulate and divide us,” he said.

A statement was also released by 12 of the 16 lawyers later. In it, they denied any involvement in the dissemination of the list and added that they had no association whatsoever with the entity known as “Badan Bertindak Profesional Muslim” which purportedly issued the campaign material.

“Each and every one of us is standing as a candidate independently and not under the purported banner of this ‘Badan Bertindak Profesional Muslim’,” they added.

They also revealed the existence of another list, named the “Star Group”, which comprised 16 candidates — two Malay members and 14 non-Malays. They were purportedly rivals to the so-called “Ultra Malays Group”.

Last week, FMT reported that lawyers had expressed concern over elements of race and religion creeping into the ongoing Bar Council election campaign, saying it will compromise professionalism in the august body.

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They also said it would defeat the Bar Council’s opposition to discrimination of any sort.

The comments arose after the 16-member list was circulated on social media. The message also quoted a verse from the Quran which touched on Jews and Christians.

Former council chief Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari urged members to cease sending such messages, saying the Malaysian Bar has no colour, race, creed or religion.

The Malaysian Bar is in the midst of electing 16 members to the Bar Council. They will join the immediate past president and vice-president of the Malaysian Bar and the chairmen of 12 state bar committees in Peninsular Malaysia.

Each state bar will later elect a second member to represent them on the 42-member Bar Council.

The national-level election is ongoing and is being conducted by postal ballots. Lawyers have until Nov 30 to submit their marked ballots, which will be tallied the following day.