Justice is very much needed in this day and age as the world is evolving faster than before.
Justice and laws are put in place to maintain peace and stability of the nations, regions and the world. Laws govern every aspect of our lives ranging from social, economy to politics.
There is also a plethora of events being commemorated in the name of justice every year, which include the Opening of Legal Year which is celebrated at the start of every new year witnessing the welcoming of new legal year, World Day for International Justice on July 17, World Day of Social Justice on Nov 26 every year, etc.
Recently, World Day for International Justice which is celebrated on July 1, marks the importance of bringing justice to people in general, promoting rights of individuals and stressing the significance of living in a peaceful world.
In this highly developed world, it is important to build a peaceful society for all to live harmoniously and to propel growth of nations.
In conjunction with the World International Day for Justice it is pertinent to take cognisance that human rights and justice should be prioritised at all times to build a peaceful society.
Such a society can only exist with the crucial elements of justice, rule of law, equality before the law and access to justice for all.
We should be confident that Malaysia, having been elected as a member of United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for 2022-2024 will undertake more proactive measures in promoting justice and human rights.
They include continued implementation of Universal Periodic Review recommendations, upholding obligations under CEDAW, active engagement session with stakeholders, reviewing and updating laws and statutes as well as recognising youths as stakeholders of nation building.
In this modern era, justice needs to be served and accessed easily and expeditiously as justice should not only be done, but should be seen to be done.
Recently, most legal jurisdictions in the world have also adopted digitalisation and virtual hearings to facilitate legal proceedings and hearing of cases.
Malaysia is a keen supporter of digital transformation in courts by amending the Courts of Judicature Act by introducing virtual means to conduct proceedings through remote communication technology to ensure justice can be served.
In Singapore, there is the Courts (Civil and Criminal Justice) Reform Act passed by Parliament on Sept 14, 2021 which generally empowers the courts to conduct hearings remotely and cases can now be heard via hybrid mode or entirely online.
Malaysia is a nation which practices Constitutional Supremacy as can be derived from the case of Ah Thian v Government of Malaysia [1976] 2 MLJ 112 and also the Article 4(1) Constitution which assures all citizens that their fundamental rights are well taken care of especially where personal liberty is upheld here as per Article 5 of the Constitution and also Article 8 which covers equality of all persons before the law and equal protection of the law.
Malaysia should continue to be steadfast in upholding justice without fear or favour to be the exemplar for other jurisdictions to follow.
In the process of justice, there is the legal maxim of Ubi jus ibi remedium which is important for all to bear in mind that every right comes with a remedy should the right be breached.
Courts and judiciary as the interpreter of laws should hear the cases based on merit and give rulings based on principles of laws, statutes, natural justice and precedents.
Moreover, varsity students and youths play significant roles in promoting justice and law by sharing legal knowledge with members of public.
They should partake and organise impactful activities to raise awareness and maximise exposure to the public pertaining to importance of law in regulating the society as well as doing our part in realising Goal 16 of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2030 which is peace, justice and strong institution.
All of us have collective responsibility and should work with the government to build, promote justice and uphold the supremacy of Constitution as the highest law of the land, rule of law and separation of power to realise Goal 16 of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2030.
The writer is the President and Founder of University of Malaya Young Leaders Association (UM Young Leaders), Government Varsity Leadership Icon and a law student at UM. He can be reached at limsanshien@gmail.com