The Malaysian Bar has warned that proposed amendments to the Legal Profession Act, which affect the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB), could politicise the body responsible for admitting new lawyers.
Bar vice-president Anand Raj said the changes, which include allowing the law minister to appoint the majority of LPQB’s members, gravely compromised professional independence by creating a board that would be heavily shaped by the executive.
He said in a statement that this move would reduce the Malaysian Bar and the judiciary to a minority of three out of the 13 board positions.
Anand said the board should instead be led and chaired by the Bar, with balanced representation from judges, academics, and the legal profession, free from political or executive interference.
“If the leadership of the LPQB is…