Earlier this week, de factor law and institutional reforms minister Azalina Othman Said said that a comprehensive study is being done on the proposed public defenders act, aimed at improving legal aid services for criminal cases in the country.
Access to justice is – or should be – a fundamental right in a democratic society, but we know that in reality, there are problems of access to justice for many.
BFM discusses the right to representation and whether it is mentioned anywhere in the Federal Constitution, while also relating this to recent developments in the country on the abolishment of the mandatory death penalty and access to justice for those on death row.
All this is tied to Article 5 of the Federal Constitution which states that “no person may be deprived of life or personal liberty except in accordance with law”.
Speaking to BFM are Firdaus Husni, chief human rights strategist with the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights, and and Abdul Rashid Ismail, a lawyer and former president of the National Human Rights Society of Malaysia (Hakam).
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Produced and presented by: Juliet Jacobs
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
