My uncle has passed away recently .he owned a house but didnt leave a will. he didnt have immediate family members. what will happen to the ownership of the house if nobody make a reclaim for quite long time e.g 2 to 3 years.? Can his brother and sister make a reclaim? what is the legal procedures ? please advise. thank you.

best regards.

My eldest brother convert to Islam on Feb 11, 2010 without his family knowledge and has not attend the Islam courses “khusus”. He converted to Islam to enable him to marriage an Indonesian lady. He would like to cancel the conversion after consulting his immediate family and siblings.

Can he cancel the conversion so that his first Chinese wife, (my sister-in- law) could get a divorce. What is the implications if my eldest brother marriage an Indonesian lady without getting a divorse from my sister-in-law?

My sister-in-law has 4 kids, age ranging from 12 years old to 25 years old. They are from the poor family and would like to apply legal aids assistant, if possible.

Any information or assistant will be greatly appreciated.

Malaysia led by its legal fraternity in its many forms (as politicians and politicised lawyers) appear to have taken the slippery slope to ruin in the undermining of its legal institutions by allowing the politicisation of the judiciary and individuals who occupy roles as judicial officers. This has become a prominent pastime for lawyers over the past decade:

http://takemon.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/the-eminent-persons-report-sacking-of-judges-1988/

It is important that lawyers especially in a “tinder box dry” political environment as Malaysia is, have a role to play as role models in maintaining law and order. It is when they as the most prominent of legal officers digress or divert from their roles as independent practitioners and parade as journalists and political voices that the precedents are set for trouble to begin.

There is little apart from a compulsive disorder of being anti government for the sake of being anti government that the Malaysian Bar under its most recent leadership is branded with. Comments by so called constitutional law experts on the issue of the Allah matter is but one example. Other unhelpful comments and misadventures such as the Bala Statutory Declaration is another.

More important and a blight on the record or practitioners is Karpal Singh’s performance at the Teoh Beng Hock Inquiry. Karpal demonstrates a contemptuous attitude in his language and demenour showing little regard for the authority of the law ad the court. Accusing a rival of being in contempt for a particular comment he suggests made by his rival about his physical disability is contempt, Karpal engages with his son on a tirade of abuse in contempt of court. Interjections, refusals to contain his anger, unethical and unprofessional conduct in court and a patronising attitude towards the bench all are clearly visible on the AG’s website on the inquiry.

He clearly does not understand the concept nor the meaning or the origins of contempt of court. It is not personal. It is a defensive mechanism against the abuse of the sanctity of the court, proceedings and the law in defence of public interests and not his own perceptions of whats right and wrong.

Karpal is contemptous of the judge or tribunal member and attempts to force in the most undecorous manner, his views of the world and the law subsequently. His conduct is shameful and lacks the decorum and courtesy and dignity the court is entitled to especially from an officer of the court. If it were the case th other lawyer was in contempt it is surely up to the judge (the bench) to decide that and not for Karpal to be judge jury and executioner all in one in defiance of the law.

If this is an example of Malaysia’s brightest and best God help us all. Right throughout the filmed inquiry in that particular segment, Karpal makes allegations in statements not supporting it with even a single shred of admissible evidence. He uses the term murder with impunity when the findings into how Teoh Beng Hock died and the inquiry incomplete. Thats contempt.

These are but issues that although not isolated incidents in Malaysian legal practice is very unfortunately an integral part of the problem that eventually leads to perceptions of weakness in the judiciary. After all the judiciary is by and large made up of legal practitioners. You poison the well you expect to get sick from drinking from it.