Forum : Conversations on the Constitution – What is the Federal Constitution

Date : 13th November, 2009

Time : 3.00pm

Venue : Bar Council Auditorium

Speakers : Professor Aziz Bari, Dr. Azmi Shahrom, Hj. Sulaiman Abdullah, Professor Shad Faruqi and Malik Imtiaz

For more information, please see here:

http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/constitutional_law_committee/ or contact Ms Lim Ka Ea at kaea@malaysianbar.org.my (Tel No. 03-20317103).

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In March, 2009, the Bar Council formed its Constitutional Law Committee (“ConstiLC”) to promote constitutional awareness and constitutionalism, as part of the Bar’s already wide-ranging initiatives in society.

The ConstiLC comprises lawyers, academics, students, media personnel and activists. Its “Vision and Mission”, contained in its two-year Blueprint (2009-2011), is to:-

• raise awareness of, and educate, the Rakyat on the nature and contents of the Federal Constitution;

• encourage debate on, and the acceptance of, constitutionalism in national governance and in our social structure;

• document and respond to constitutional issues that arise;

• discuss and critique constitutional issues as and when they arise, and where necessary, offer our view;

• promote the inculcation of the study of the Federal Constitution in the secondary and tertiary education curriculum;

• conduct research and discussions on matters relating to the Federal or State Constitutions and where necessary, make recommendations for constitutional reform;

• assist and advice the Bar Council on constitutional matters.

MyConstitution Campaign (“Kempen PerlembagaanKu”)

Recognising the need to educate Malaysians on the role, function and content of the Federal Constitution, the focal initiative of the ConstiLC’s work is to conduct a first ever nationwide educational and awareness campaign – “MyConstitution Campaign” or “Kempen PerlembagaanKu”.

As part of the 2-year Campaign, the ConstiLC will, among others:-

• publish a series of pocket-sized, “The Rakyat Guides” booklets on key topics in the Federal Constitution;

• produce a series of “Public Service Advertisements” on different themes of the Federal Constitution; and

• host a series of awareness-raising and interest-building programmes on the Constitution through symposiums, dialogues, forums and lectures.

The goals the ConstiLC seeks to achieve include:-

• increased public awareness and understanding of the purpose, nature and content of the Constitution, specifically of the relationship of one institution of government with another, between the federation and its individual states, between the citizen and the State and between one citizen and another;

• recognition and acceptance of the role and importance of constitutionalism in national governance and in the social structure;

• promotion of the study of the Constitution amongst youths and young adults.

The ConstiLC aims to bring the message of the Campaign to at least 6 million households in the Peninsular, and in Sabah and Sarawak. We also hope to work with the Federal Government, State Governments, private and corporate sectors, academic institutions, NGOs and media organisations on this Campaign, always emphasising the collective ownership of the Constitution.