I came across the existence of Sultan Azlan Shah Law Lecture in the news posted in our bulletin board. The topic of the year is "Scandalizing judiciary: Criticism of judges and the law of contempt." It was definitely an interesting topic that I've learnt in my professional practice before, thus I would definitely delighted to explore more about the lecture. After I settled all my assignments and submissions, I finally made it to attend the lecture which was held in Mandarin Oriental Hotel on 9th Sept 2012.
The speaker of the 26th Sultan Azlan Shah Law Lecture was conducted by Lord David Pannick QC (Queen's Councel). According to the news published in the Star Newspaper, he is one of the most prominent QC in the Commonwealth country and he is famous for human rights cases.
The lecture started with the lovely orchestra. Unfortunately Sultan Azlan Shah couldn't attend the talk for this year. The gist of the lecture is that the necessity to strike a balance between the law of contempt and the freedom of speech. Lord Pannick had cited numerous cases in different countries to illustrate the consequence of criticism of judges and the law of contempt. Lord Pannick suggests that the law of contempt for criticism of the judges should be abolished. In my opinion, there will be no improvements without criticism. It is good for the public to comment and criticize the judgment made by the court. The law of contempt must be exercised fairly and with due care to avoid injustice.
The highlight of the day is definitely the food! I love the salmon sushi, satay, nasi berani, cheese cakes, macarons, puddings and fruits provided after the lecture :d No wonder my UM friends reminded me to grab food over there, hahahaha!
It was really great to see Izzat, Aroma, Adam, JR, Rohan, Yingle, Gobith, Joanne, Janice, Joshua, Chin Yong, Zain, Clinton, LeeLian etc etc from KAAP and TP! Also, I am happy to see the other "cute" side of our lecturers throughout the excursion! I can't believe they loves taking photographs too, we are taking photographs everywhere even in the middle of the road, hehe!
I shall continue my preparation for final exams now, good luck!