Journal Malaysian Judiciary
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
JOURNAL JOURNAL OF THE MALAYSIAN JUDICIARY MALAYSIAN THE OF JOURNAL OF THE MALAYSIAN JUDICIARY July 2021 Barcode July 2021 ISSN 0127-9270 JOURNAL OF THE MALAYSIAN JUDICIARY July 2021 JOURNAL OF THE MALAYSIAN JUDICIARY MODE OF CITATION Month [Year] JMJ page ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE Publication Secretary, Judicial Appointments Commission Level 5, Palace of Justice, Precinct 3, 62506 Putrajaya www.jac.gov.my Tel: 603-88803546 Fax: 603-88803549 2021 © Judicial Appointments Commission, Level 5, Palace of Justice, Precinct 3, 62506 Putrajaya, Malaysia. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any material form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication, without the written permission of the copyright holder, application for which should be addressed to the publisher. Such written permission must also be obtained before any part of this publication is stored in a retrieval system of any nature. Views expressed by contributors in this Journal are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Malaysian Judiciary, Judicial Appointments Commission or Malaysian Judicial Academy. Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this work is correct, the publisher, the editor, the contributors and the Academy disclaim all liability and responsibility for any error or omission in this publication, and in respect of anything or the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done by any person in reliance, whether wholly or partially, upon the whole or any part of the contents of this publication. ISSN 0127-9270 (bi-annually) Published by Judicial Appointments Commission Level 5, Palace of Justice, Precinct 3, 62506 Putrajaya, Malaysia. Editing, design and layout by THE MALAYSIAN JUDICIAL ACADEMY CHAIRMAN The Rt. Hon. Tun Tengku Maimun binti Tuan Mat Chief Justice MEMBERS The Rt. Hon. Tan Sri Rohana binti Yusuf President of the Court of Appeal The Rt. Hon. Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Azahar bin Mohamed Chief Judge of Malaya The Rt. Hon. Dato’ Abang Iskandar bin Abang Hashim Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Justice Datuk Seri Haji Mohd Zawawi bin Salleh Judge of the Federal Court Justice Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan Judge of the Federal Court Justice Datuk Vernon Ong Lam Kiat Judge of the Federal Court SECRETARY Mr. Qalam Zainuddin bin Sani Secretary, Judicial Appointments Commission PUBLICATION COMMITTEE OF THE MALAYSIAN JUDICIAL ACADEMY MANAGING EDITOR Justice Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan Judge of the Federal Court MEMBERS Justice Dato’ Zabariah binti Mohd. Yusof Judge of the Federal Court Justice Dato’ Lee Swee Seng Judge of the Court of Appeal Justice Darryl Goon Siew Chye Judge of the Court of Appeal Justice Mohd. Nazlan bin Mohd. Ghazali Judge of the High Court of Malaya Mr. Qalam Zainuddin bin Sani Secretary, Judicial Appointments Commission Ms. Adibah Al-Husna binti Abdul Rahim Deputy Secretary, Judicial Appointments Commission SECRETARY Dr. Noradura binti Hamzah Judicial and Legal Officer PANEL OF REFEREES Justice Belinda Ang Judge of the Supreme Court Singapore Justice See Kee Oon Judge of the Supreme Court Singapore Justice Prateek Jalan Judge of the High Court of Delhi India Justice Mark Leeming Judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales Australia David Pittaway QC Head of Hailsham Chambers, London United Kingdom Professor Leong Wai Kum National University of Singapore Singapore Associate Professor Low Chee Keong CUHK Business School Hong Kong PREFACE Legal scholarship requires evolution. Rather like Zeno’s paradox, the classical mathematical theory that postulates that motion is an illusion, in that you can never reach an end-point, the law is always approaching, but never reaching consistency. It continually evolves, adopting new principles to meet the necessities of the times, and the present state of things, while retaining its old principles from history which have not been shed.1 It is this transformation of ideas in the law which evidences the evolution of legal scholarship. In its own distinct style, the Journal of the Malaysian Judiciary encourages and makes contribution to such legal evolution in the context of the continually evolving Malaysian common law. It fosters the scrutiny and review of seemingly self-sufficient theories of law. Our learned and knowledgeable contributors have examined and analysed a varied range of legal subjects, which are both stimulating and of topical interest. These articles range from the insightful analyses in contract law questioning, inter alia, the seemingly settled position relating to implied terms in Justice Wong Kian Kheong’s treatise, and the ever-challenging law of restitution with its nexus to section 71 of the Contracts Act 1950 in Low Weng Tchung’s discourse, to the consideration of the timeless issue of the right to counsel under the Federal Constitution with its varied complexities and permutations by Justice Wan Ahmad Farid bin Wan Salleh. Of considerable topical and practical importance is the article by Justice Wong Hok Chong on the law relating to committal proceedings in civil contempt. This is a complex issue fraught with technical matters of procedure apart from the difficulties of the substantive law. His treatment of the subject is skillful and thorough, giving the reader an up-to-date account of the subject, which is easy to comprehend. It will undoubtedly be of substantial use for reference. The law relating to insurance and indemnity for directors is comprehensively and meticulously explained in the context of the Companies Act 2016 and contrasted with the previous position under the former Companies Act 1965 by Justice Quay Chew Soon. It provides the reader with a complete digest on the subject. 1 See article entitled “Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr and the Darwinian Common Law Paradigm” by Allen Mendenhall in the European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy, December 2015. viii Preface July [2021] JMJ Datuk Dr. Prasad Abraham, former Judge of the Federal Court, who is the present Deputy Director of the Asian International Arbitration Centre, has favoured us with an edifying article reviewing recent decisions in our courts, and advocating the use of section 37(6) of the Arbitration Act 2005 in appropriate cases, as an alternative to a less interventionist approach by the courts. Recent developments in the common law, in relation to tortious claims by secondary victims in the United Kingdom, constitute the subject matter of the article by our overseas referee, David Pittaway QC, who is renowned for his expertise in this area. The article is co-authored by Thomas Crockett and points to the seemingly endless problem the English Judiciary has grappled with, in an attempt to find a just and workable classification of the “control measures” for secondary victim claims, which properly balance the competing interests of society. In the area of constitutional law, we have the benefit of an article from Dr. Gan Chee Keong, Senior Federal Counsel in the legal division of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. It explores the range of constitutional rights and remedies provided for in relation to fundamental rights in India, and as such, presents an informative and useful study which serves to stimulate and provoke debate on the comparative position in our jurisdiction. Readers will no doubt enjoy the invigorating and novel contribution from Justice Faizah Jamaludin and Dato’ Mohammad Faiz Azmi, which underscores the evolution of the law into areas like climate change. The contributors undertake a fascinating journey through this subject on both a national and an international level before relating it to our corporate governance principles (more particularly in relation to directors’ duties) and highlighting the need for specific legislation in this regard. In this our 12th edition, we, the Editorial Committee, are both grateful and appreciative of the contributions made by our contributors. The time and effort they dedicated, is evident from the quality of their legal writing. It was a considerable pleasure to curate this series of articles. On behalf of the Editorial Committee Nallini Pathmanathan CONTENTS When Can a Contractual Term be Implied? Justice Wong Kian Kheong ..................................................................................1 A Social Licence to Operate: The Impact of Climate Change on Directors’ Duties in Malaysia Justice Dato’ Faizah Jamaludin and Dato’ Mohammad Faiz Azmi ..................24 The Right to Counsel under Article 5(3) of the Federal Constitution: The Continuing Saga Revisited Justice Wan Ahmad Farid bin Wan Salleh .........................................................54 Indemnity and Insurance for Directors and Officers Justice Quay Chew Soon ....................................................................................78 Committal Proceedings: Civil Contempt Justice Wong Hok Chong .................................................................................109 A Balancing Act: Advocating for Section 37(6) of the Arbitration Act 2005 Datuk Dr Prasad Sandosham Abraham ..........................................................132 Secondary Victim Claims: A Failure of Common Law or Common Sense? David Pittaway QC and Thomas Crockett ......................................................145 Constitutional Remedies in India: Salient Features and Impacts of