In a two-hour ceremony at the Seremban High Court before Justices Roz Mawar Rozain and Haldar Abdul Aziz, lawyers made moving and eloquent tributes in honour of 26 departed members.
Among the members listed were former Dewan Negara president Chan Choon Tak, former deputy minister Eddin Syazlee Shith, former state executive councillor M Muthupalaniappan and former Seremban MP John Fernandez.
Other notable figures included criminal law practitioner J Nadchatiram as well as brothers James Ponniah and Edmund Hilary Tensing Ponniah, both of whom were past chairmen of the Negeri Sembilan Bar.
Also present at the ceremony were Malaysian Bar secretary R Jayabalan and state prosecution unit chief, Ku Hayati Ku Haron, who represented the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
In his speech, state Bar chairman S Karthigesan said reference proceedings were an ancient practice of the Bar.
“Just as we welcome new entrants into the legal profession, we once again come together to recall the member’s life at the Bar after their demise,” he said.
To the family members of the deceased, Karthigesan said he and his colleagues shared the pain of their loss, though their words offered little consolation.
“It is our sincere hope that you leave this courtroom today with pride, knowing that your loved ones not only lived a life of purpose and dedication at the Bar, but that their memories will forever be cherished by their colleagues,” he said.
Roz Mawar said the speeches during proceedings would be recorded for posterity as the words spoken did justice not only to the deceased members’ professional accomplishments, but also to the character, integrity and humanity they embodied.
She said she was honoured to preside over and revive the solemn tradition, which was last held in Negeri Sembilan in 2015.
“Traditions such as these are not mere formalities. They serve a purpose beyond ceremony,” she said.
She said the law was sustained not only by statutes and precedents, but by men and women who gave it life, often without fanfare and always without expectation of remembrance.
“Yet, as today demonstrates, the profession does remember. And in remembering them, there is affirmation of the values that define your legal profession,” she said.
Karthigesan then applied that the record of today’s proceedings be kept and preserved in the archives of the High Court of Malaya, and that a copy be extended to the bereaved families.