As Court Practical nears the end…

This past month, namely from dates 20th May to coming 20th June, during the semester break at that, I was involved in practical training, as part of my law course that I do at my university.

Its not mandatory, as I know, but voluntary. I applied to do some practical training at the Shah Alam High Court (see pic above) and a few days before May 20th, I went to the faculty office half expecting that some event would derail things and I might not get to carry out the plan but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was all systems go. Not knowing what time and where exactly to report once I was there, feeling nervous at the side and armed with a logbook to record daily events, I set off to the court complex at 10 am that day. After being given the run around by the information counter there, an office boy escorted me to the office of my supposed supervisor, Tuan Wan Norsham, and I was to know that there was going to be another gathering involving those of my coursemates who opted for the same thing to do these long hols. Sure enough after the large gathering we were divided into groups – I was paired with Harith, Yati (both coursemates of the same batch as yours truly) as well as Bai (Baizura, a senior from one part higher then mine).

We were assigned Tuan Che Wan Zaidi to supervise our group. Introducing himself as a Deputy Registrar, he told us that he was formerly a Magistrate in Ampang, and offered right away lessons on Criminal Procedure. Later we were taught by his assistant Kak Ta how to draft Order letters, which are formal notices issued by the Court upon the ajudication of a case. From then on we got to read case files, including files of some famous cases such as Canny Ong, Chiam Swee Tong, Suzaily Mokhtar, and Maiwar Siaran. Soon I was given the lucky opportunity to visit their mini jail cell near the carpark below where they throw all the bad guys in, and as weeks passed we learned about Bankruptcy with another supervisor, Senior Assistant Registrar Puan Husna, where I got to look at a case file and arguments consider as well as evaluate for myself what I were to decide if I had been the judge presiding, as well as hear cases heard in chambers by her as well as another Senior Assistant Registrar, Puan Noor Akmal. I also attended some of the Altantulya case proceedings heard at Criminal High Court 1, and saw Abdul Razak, Sirul and Azilah in person, as well as their respective friends and families. All seemed well with them. I didn’t go up to speak to them personally though, I wouldn’t be brave enough, ha!

These practical sessions, as I had said in my earlier post, have reignited some of my passion into law again, long running dry from the daily class drudgeries, and having pun into a position to look at a case the way a judge would, I found I quite liked it and wouldn’t hesistate to say I might consider joining the Judicial and Legal Service now, as a Magistrate!

Anyway since this practical thing is coming to an end now, I thought I might write about it.

Ah exams! They are a coming… (con’t)

(Continued from before)

Hi again. It is almost 2 am in the early morning of June 11th as I write this, almost a good two months since my first entry.

To be honest, I spilt this particular article into two parts not because I intentioned it as such from the beginning, but I had written some way into the last one and somehow through the slowness of my internet connection to WordPress’s own ineptness it all got lost. I remembered being very pissed, after all who wouldn’t after you had invested so much effort into writing something and it slips into oblivion forever? Blogging, for all the accussations hurled at the activity as being nothing more then a useless endeavour by some fools who know not what the Government is really doing, is not an easy task. It requires much concentration, focus, and an ability to articulate properly to convey your message, and accordingly yourself, to the world via the Internet. The burden is huge to discharge!

Right, back to why I am writing an entry only now. First, I wanted to write within 2 months And another, I just wanted to record my progress in last semester’s exams. The last post told of me getting ready to face those, non? Well, this post is written way after those have long been concluded, the results of which I had obtained a few days ago, and I am pleased to report that I have passed all subjects. Hurrah!

You might be blinking and asking “Eh? Pass only so happy ah?” Life has not been as easy for me you know. I started out very well, managing perfect scores in tests, and getting the Dean’s List every semester during my foundation. But why the drop? First, certain ummm, lets say members of the faculty delight in failing students purposely (save your scoff, it does happen) and I have never been able to completely recover since then, failing one subject every semester until now, and secondly, momentum slows. It happens to everyone when they do the same thing over and over again, especially factory workers, who do that kind of routine for a living. You don’t try your best, because you feel like there is no use, like somehow the subject matter does not interest you anymore (at least in the way it is being taught, reference to my rantings on education in the last post should be an indication here) and that there is consequently no light at the end of the tunnel.

Things have been happening to me in the past few weeks however, that have managed to revive interest for law within moi. One, my decision to do practical training at the Shah Alam High Court during this semester break paid off, though not tremendously. Although there was much waiting around and doing nothing at times, I got to experiance what it is sitting in a Court, during a high profile case (such as the Altantulya Murder Trial) and also during boring cases such as Drug cases, which have got to be the most boring kind of cases ever to grace courtroom walls on planet Earth. God, if I hear another chemist from the Chemistry Department giving evidence on drug samples again I would surely die. I really pity judges who have to sit and listen in situations such as these. Then again, they have to write everything down, which probably keeps them from falling asleep…

I also got to learn about Bankruptcy from a Senior Assistant Registrar (SAR) who hears them enough to allow me to definatively select Insolvency as my elective course for this coming semester, and also get to read on concluded high profile cases such as the Canny Ong murder case. My group in particular was lucky enough to get a Deputy Registrar who actually cared what we were up to, as hearing from the others their own supervisors really couldn’t care less whether they existed or not.

On the whole, my general interest in law is much revived, and while before I only had one destination in mind after graduation (that is to become a diplomat) now, having personally looked at, and even put in a situation where I got to decide on cases myself, I do see myself as a judge, or a Magistrate of some sort. Hmm… not bad indeed…

This recent clearing or cleansing of my backlog of subjects from semesters of yesteryear really lifts off a heavy burden I have felt upon myself for a long while, and I feel motivated to start getting my student dues back on track.