The Law Trip Division of the Multimedia University Law Society (MULS) organised a “Tea Session with the Chief Justice of Malaysia” on 25 September 2023, at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya. A total of seventy-three participants, comprising law students and academics from the Faculty of Law (FOL) participated in the trip.
With the vision of promoting hands-on experience outside the classroom, the visit to the Palace of Justice and the tea session with the Chief Justice aims to provide students with the opportunity to understand the workings of the courts and the judicial system in Malaysia and to enable the students to hear from the Chief Justice about the roles of the Chief Justice and the challenges faced by the Judiciary.
The Right Honourable Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, the Chief Justice, shared with the audience that this was her first tea session with university students. Hence, MMU has the honour of being the first university to be given the opportunity for a meet and greet session with the current Chief Justice of Malaysia.
Upon arrival, the students were taken on a tour of the Palace of Justice. The students were briefed by officers from the Palace of Justice and were given the opportunity to visit the Court of Appeal, the judge’s chambers, and the detention cells within the courts. The students also visited the Judicial Museum located inside the Palace of Justice. The students were then brought to the conference room, where the sharing session and tea session with the Chief Justice of Malaysia took place.
The session was also graced by the presence of Dato’ Hasbi binti Hasan, the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court of Malaysia; high-ranking officers of the courts; Prof. Dr. Abdul Mohaimin bin Noordin Ayus, the Dean of the Faculty of Law; Deputy Deans; Advisor to the MULS; Academics; as well as a representative from the Student Lifestyle & Experience Department (STyLE).
The students were briefed on the ways the judiciary is incorporating technology into the daily operations of the legal profession. The students were also enlightened about the Court-2-Classroom (MYC2C) Programme, an initiative by the judiciary that seeks to expand the understanding of school and university students on the organisation as well as the importance of the judicial system in Malaysia.
Yang Amat Arif Tun Tengku Maimun then shared her personal experience working in the judiciary as well as the importance of her role as the Chief Justice in upholding the Federal Constitution and the rule of law. The students were also given the opportunity to engage with the Chief Justice by asking questions and listening to the insights given by the Chief Justice on matters relating to the judicial system as well as the duties, responsibilities, and challenges faced by the Chief Justice of Malaysia.
Overall, the tea session gave the students the opportunity to expand their horizons beyond the classroom and highlighted to the students the importance of the judiciary as a guardian of the Constitution and to dispense justice in accordance with the law. The tea session also enhances the reputation of MMU and reflects on the continuous efforts of the university to produce high-quality, disciplined and passionate law graduates.
