Incumbent president Salim Bashir said he would not be offering himself for another term although the Legal Profession Act allowed a lawyer to hold the position for two years.

“I have reached the end of my term as president and will not offer myself for re-election,” he told FMT in a text message.

Salim’s predecessor Abdul Fareed Abdul Ghafoor was also a one-term president as he too did not offer himself for another year.

FMT understands the contest for the president would likely be between incumbent secretary A G Kalidas and Karen Cheah Yee Lynn, a former secretary and treasurer.

Thirty-eight council members will meet immediately after the AGM to elect the four principal officer bearers – president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer – at Wisma Badan Peguam Malaysia.

Meanwhile, a former president said the Bar Council leadership was seen in the recent past as rather mute compared with their vociferous predecessors who upheld the rule of law.

“It did not even come up with a statement in defence of the judiciary when a political leader aligned with the present government made a contemptuous remark following a recent judgment,” he said on condition of anonymity.

He was referring to the unanimous verdict by a nine-member Federal Court bench last month which declared that the Selangor legislature is incompetent to approve a provision in a state shariah enactment to criminalise unnatural sex among Muslims in the state.

Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who chaired the panel, had said the primary power to enact criminal laws lay with Parliament.

He said Manjeet Singh Dhillon (1991-92), R R Chelvarajah (1990-2000) and Sulaiman Abdullah (2000-2001) were also one-term presidents but the Bar Council leadership then was rock steady in handling public interest issues.

Another ex-Bar president Zainur Zakaria said the nation was facing a challenging situation these days though the current government may be seen as legally right in its action.

“Regardless of what some quarters might say that the Bar must be apolitical, but politics does affect the rights and interest of the people and functioning of a democracy, like the suspension of Parliament,” he said.

He said the Bar in the past took the lead to challenge laws that were deemed draconian and unjust.

“We expect the present leadership to discharge their duties and confront issues without fear of favour,” he said.