BUKIT MERTAJAM: Pakatan Rakyat is capitalising on Rohaizat Othman’s disbarment at the Permatang Pasir by-election after the Bar Council noted that lawyers are not disbarred for the mistakes of partners, as alluded by the defensive Barisan Nasional.
DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang today called for the Barisan Nasional candidate to withdraw from the straight fight with PAS’s Mohd Salleh Man to prevent further embarrassment to his coalition “for having misled them about the actual reasons of his disbarment by the Bar Council from practicing as a lawyer”.
“The first question that must be asked right from the beginning of the Permatang Pasir by-election is whether the voters can trust a candidate who could even mislead his own political party about his disbarment by the Bar Council from practising as a lawyer?” Lim asked in a statement released today.
Both candidates are syariah lawyers in the by-election called after the death of three-time Permatang Pasir state rep Datuk Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman from a heart attack on July 31. Barisan hopes to win or reduce PAS’s majority of 5,433 in Election 2008.
But Lim noted that various explanations have been given by Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders about Rohaizat being struck from the rolls of the Malaysian Bar after his licence to practise was revoked in 2003.
Penang Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had confirmed that Rohaizat was struck off after his partner took off with a client’s money. He said the client lodged a report and as a partner, Rohaizat was implicated.
Rohaizat, will his campaign revolve around his disbarment? - Picture by Jack Ooi
“Legally, Rohaizat did no wrong but, morally, this will be used against him by the other party in the by-election,” Zahid had said, adding that that was why when Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced Rohaizat’s name last Friday as the Barisan candidate for the by-election he did not refer to him as a lawyer.
Muhyiddin had alleged yesterday that Rohaizat was the target of “character assassination” and local newspapers reported that he “chided the Opposition for stirring up controversy” over Rohaizat’s credibility.
However, the Ipoh Timur MP said the facts are completely different as Bar Council chairman Ragunath Kesavan confirmed that Rohaizat was guilty and bore personal liability under the Legal Profession Act.
It is understood that Rohaizat, and not his partner, was named by a complainant over a sum of about RM161,000.
“If you are an innocent party, you would not be found guilty by the (Bar Council’s) disciplinary board. Rohaizat’s appeal against the Bar Council decision was dismissed by the High Court on Aug 12,” Ragunath was quoted as saying by local newspapers.
Lim said if Ragunath is right, then Rohaizat has compounded his offence which had led to his disbarment by the Bar Council by misleading Umno leaders about the circumstances of his disbarment.
“I believe that Umno leaders like Muhyiddin and Zahid had been misled by Rohaizat and did not know the actual circumstances resulting in Rohaizat’s disbarment, although they should have done a thorough check,” he added.
He asked Muhyiddin and Zahid to resolve the Rohaizat problem swiftly and boldly, “so that the integrity problem of Rohaizat is not expanded to become the integrity problems of Muhyiddin, Zahid, Umno and Barisan Nasional leaderships”.
“The most honourable solution under the circumstances is for the Umno and Barisan Nasional leadership to withdraw Rohaizat as candidate, which can still be done by Thursday, and concede the PAS/Pakatan Rakyat candidate, Mohd Salleh Man Mat Aji a walkover.
“Otherwise, the central issue of the Permatang Pasir by-election is not only going to be about the integrity of Rohaizat but that of Zahid, Muhyiddin, and the Umno and Barisan Nasional leaderships as well,” Lim said.
MI
18/08/09
DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang today called for the Barisan Nasional candidate to withdraw from the straight fight with PAS’s Mohd Salleh Man to prevent further embarrassment to his coalition “for having misled them about the actual reasons of his disbarment by the Bar Council from practicing as a lawyer”.
“The first question that must be asked right from the beginning of the Permatang Pasir by-election is whether the voters can trust a candidate who could even mislead his own political party about his disbarment by the Bar Council from practising as a lawyer?” Lim asked in a statement released today.
Both candidates are syariah lawyers in the by-election called after the death of three-time Permatang Pasir state rep Datuk Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman from a heart attack on July 31. Barisan hopes to win or reduce PAS’s majority of 5,433 in Election 2008.
But Lim noted that various explanations have been given by Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders about Rohaizat being struck from the rolls of the Malaysian Bar after his licence to practise was revoked in 2003.
Penang Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had confirmed that Rohaizat was struck off after his partner took off with a client’s money. He said the client lodged a report and as a partner, Rohaizat was implicated.
Rohaizat, will his campaign revolve around his disbarment? - Picture by Jack Ooi
“Legally, Rohaizat did no wrong but, morally, this will be used against him by the other party in the by-election,” Zahid had said, adding that that was why when Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced Rohaizat’s name last Friday as the Barisan candidate for the by-election he did not refer to him as a lawyer.
Muhyiddin had alleged yesterday that Rohaizat was the target of “character assassination” and local newspapers reported that he “chided the Opposition for stirring up controversy” over Rohaizat’s credibility.
However, the Ipoh Timur MP said the facts are completely different as Bar Council chairman Ragunath Kesavan confirmed that Rohaizat was guilty and bore personal liability under the Legal Profession Act.
It is understood that Rohaizat, and not his partner, was named by a complainant over a sum of about RM161,000.
“If you are an innocent party, you would not be found guilty by the (Bar Council’s) disciplinary board. Rohaizat’s appeal against the Bar Council decision was dismissed by the High Court on Aug 12,” Ragunath was quoted as saying by local newspapers.
Lim said if Ragunath is right, then Rohaizat has compounded his offence which had led to his disbarment by the Bar Council by misleading Umno leaders about the circumstances of his disbarment.
“I believe that Umno leaders like Muhyiddin and Zahid had been misled by Rohaizat and did not know the actual circumstances resulting in Rohaizat’s disbarment, although they should have done a thorough check,” he added.
He asked Muhyiddin and Zahid to resolve the Rohaizat problem swiftly and boldly, “so that the integrity problem of Rohaizat is not expanded to become the integrity problems of Muhyiddin, Zahid, Umno and Barisan Nasional leaderships”.
“The most honourable solution under the circumstances is for the Umno and Barisan Nasional leadership to withdraw Rohaizat as candidate, which can still be done by Thursday, and concede the PAS/Pakatan Rakyat candidate, Mohd Salleh Man Mat Aji a walkover.
“Otherwise, the central issue of the Permatang Pasir by-election is not only going to be about the integrity of Rohaizat but that of Zahid, Muhyiddin, and the Umno and Barisan Nasional leaderships as well,” Lim said.
MI
18/08/09
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