OPENING & KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Introducing the Opening and Keynote speakers for the 37th LAWASIA Conference 2024.

OPENING ADDRESS

The Right Honourable Tun Tengku Maimun Binti Tuan Mat

Chief Justice of Malaysia

The Right Honourable Tun was born in Kota Bharu, Kelantan on 2 July 1959; read law at the University of Malaya and graduated with honours in 1982. The Right Honourable Tun’s illustrious career began as a Legal Officer at the Southern Kelantan Development Board (“KESEDAR”) in 1982 and later in 1984, became a Legal Officer at the Municipal Council of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. She joined the Judicial and Legal Service in 1986 as an Assistant Parliamentary Draftsman, at the Drafting Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers, and subsequently served in numerous capacities such as a Magistrate at the Port Dickson Court, Federal Counsel at the Kuala Terengganu Legal Aid Bureau, Senior Assistant Registrar at the High Court at Seremban, Deputy Registrar at the High Court of Kuala Lumpur, Special Officer to the Right Honourable Chief Judge of Malaya, Special Officer to the Right Honourable Chief Justice, Judge of the Sessions Court at Kuala Lumpur, Special Officer to the Right Honourable Chief Justice, as well as the Registrar of the High Court of Malaya, and subsequently, Chief Registrar of the Federal Court of Malaysia.

The Right Honourable Tun’s final posting in the Judicial and Legal Service was as the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court of Malaysia from 2005 to 2006.

On 2 Oct 2006, The Right Honourable Tun was appointed as a Judicial Commissioner of the High Court of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur, and then elevated as a Judge of the High Court of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur on 5 Sept 2007. The Right Honourable Tun was next appointed as a Judge of the Court of Appeal on 8 Jan 2013; and then on 26 Nov 2018, The Right Honourable Tun was appointed as a Judge of the Federal Court.

Known to be highly progressive and independent, The Right Honourable Tun’s distinguished career culminated in her appointment as the Chief Justice of Malaysia on 2 May 2019. On 17 Aug 2020, The Right Honourable Tun was conferred the Darjah Seri Setia Mahkota award, which carries the title “Tun”.

The Right Honourable Tun has delivered many landmark decisions at the Court of Appeal and Federal Court during the course of her career, further enriching Malaysia’s legal jurisprudence.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim
Prime Minister of Malaysia

Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, sworn in on 24 November 2022.

His appointment is the result of a decades-long political journey, which began as a student activist advocating for social justice and democratic reforms. Anwar’s political ascent saw him hold various ministerial positions, including Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia (1993-1998) and Minister of Finance (1991-1998). He also served as Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in 1983; Minister of Agriculture in 1984; and Minister of Education in 1986.

During the Asian Financial Crisis, Anwar was hailed for guiding through the period of instability. As deputy prime minister and finance minister at the time, he backed free-market principles and highlighted the proximity of business and politics in Malaysia.

He spearheaded Reformasi, a reform movement that has indelibly shaped the country’s political landscape and inspired a generation of democracy activists. For championing the cause of the poor and taking a principled stance against corruption and abuse of power, he endured years of incarceration. Today, as prime minister, Anwar continues to be a powerful force in Malaysia and the region for democracy and pluralism, the values to which he has dedicated his life.

Anwar is viewed as one of the forefathers of the Asian Renaissance. He is an internationally renowned speaker on the subjects of economics, democracy, freedom, governance, geopolitics, the relationship between Islam and democracy, and the need for greater civilizational dialogue and contemporary politics in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. He held Senior Fellowships at St. Anthony’s College at Oxford and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University as well as a Visiting Professorship at the School of Foreign Service in Georgetown University.

PLENARY SPEAKERS

Introducing the Plenary speakers for the 37th LAWASIA Conference 2024.

MODERATOR FOR THE PLENARY SESSION - Advancing Justice in the Digital World: Rights, Responsibilities, and Regulation
13 October 2024 | 4.00pm - 5.30pm

Jerald Joseph

Human Rights Consultant
Former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia, “SUHAKAM”)

For the past 30 years, Jerald Joseph has been a human rights defender and a consultant-trainer at both local and international levels on human rights issues concerning the rights of indigenous peoples; elimination of racial discrimination; and economic, social and cultural rights (“ESCR”).

Jerald Joseph served as SUHAKAM Commissioner for the 2016–2019 and 2019-2022 terms. During the course of his service there, he chaired SUHAKAM’s Working Group of Complaints and Monitoring. He now chairs the Executive Committee of FORUM-ASIA, and serves as a Director of Pusat KOMAS. He is also a Board Member of Greenpeace Southeast Asia. In addition, he is a member of the TikTok Asia-Pacific Safety Advisory Council, and Chair of the Commission on Justice and Peace of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Brothers), Rome.

As a pioneer of programmes against racial discrimination since 2006 in the Malaysian civil society organisation (“CSO”) context, he has developed advocacy and educational tools on combating racial discrimination.

He is a senior CSO member who led the Malaysian non-governmental organisations (“NGOs”) reporting to the Universal Periodic Review (“UPR”) Working Group in Geneva. Additionally, Jerald Joseph served as Chair of the ASEAN Civil Society Conference (“ACSC”) / ASEAN Peoples’ Forum (“APF”) from 2015 to 2016.

Jerald Joseph’s various other roles that he had taken on previously are encapsulated in the non-exhaustive list below:

Member of the Commonwealth Foundation;
Member of the Asia South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (“ASPBAE”);
Member of the Asia-Pacific NGO Steering Committee of World Conference against Racism (“WCAR”);
Adviser / Lay Chaplain (2003–2007) for the International Movement of Catholic Students (“IMCS-Pax Romana”), Asia-Pacific;Coordinator (2001–2004) for the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (“ICMICA-Pax Romana”), Asia-Pacific;
Member of the Consultative Council on Foreign Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia (2018–2020) and (2021–2022);
Member, Independent Committee on the Management of Foreign Workers, Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysia (2019–2020);
Member, Selection Committee to interview candidates for Malaysia’s Representative to ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (“AICHR”) [appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia (2018)]; and
Member, Committee on Licensed Early Release of Prisoners [appointed by the Director General of the Malaysian Prison Department (2020–April 2022)].

SPEAKER FOR THE PLENARY SESSION - Advancing Justice in the Digital World: Rights, Responsibilities, and Regulation
13 October 2024 | 4.15pm - 5.15pm

The Honourable Gobind Singh Deo

Minister of Digital, Malaysia

Gobind Singh Deo was appointed as the Minister of the newly-established Ministry of Digital in December 2023.

Prior to that, from May 2018 until February 2020, he served as Minister of Communications and Multimedia. During his tenure in his previous ministry, he pushed for various reforms, such as making broadband more affordable and accessible, media freedom, transitioning national broadcaster Radio Television Malaysia (“RTM”) into the digital era, and enhancing the country’s digital connectivity through 5G.

Gobind holds a law degree from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom and is a Barrister of Lincoln’s Inn. He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1996, handling criminal, constitutional, and human rights cases.

SPEAKERS FOR THE PLENARY SESSION - Digital War and International Humanitarian Crisis
15 October 2024 | 4.15pm - 5.15pm

Khairy Jamaluddin

Former Minister of Health, Malaysia

Khairy Jamaluddin most recently served as Minister of Health, Malaysia (2021–2022). Prior to that, he was Minister at the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (“MOSTI”) (2020–2021); and Minister of Youth and Sports (2013–2018).

During his tenure as Minister of Health, Khairy Jamaluddin played a significant role in Malaysia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic by leading the digital transformation of the healthcare system, making healthcare services more accessible and efficient, including expanding the use of telemedicine and digital health platforms.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as Minister of MOSTI, Khairy Jamaluddin was instrumental in vaccinating the Malaysian population through mega vaccination centres across the nation and mobile vaccination units in rural areas, battling COVID-19 misinformation, and rallying volunteer groups to come together to assist the nation, resulting in Malaysia recording one of the highest rates of vaccine doses administered in the world.

Prior to entering government, Khairy Jamaluddin started his career as a hard-hitting journalist and articulate presenter for a political talk show called “Dateline Malaysia”. The programme was meant to encourage Malaysians to speak up about their views on political affairs. Apart from his career in journalism, he worked as a policy aide, investment banker, and entrepreneur. He has served in various capacities, including Chairman of Malaysia’s National Entrepreneur Development Corporation, Deputy President of the Football Association of Malaysia, and Commander of the 508 Territorial Army Regiment of Malaysia. He was also the Co-Founder of The Centre, a think tank dedicated to the promotion of centrist thought.

Khairy Jamaluddin is now a well-known public speaker and commentator on political and economic issues. He has written extensively on Malaysian politics and global affairs, and is widely regarded as one of the leading voices in Malaysia.

He studied at Oxford University and University College London (“UCL”) in the United Kingdom. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (“PPE”) at St Hugh’s College, and a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory at UCL.

Dr Srirak Plipat

Regional Director for Asia Pacific, World Justice Project

Srirak Plipat is the World Justice Project’s Asia Pacific Regional Director where he develops and leads WJP’s activities to advance the rule of law in the region through building strategic partnerships, disseminating knowledge, and facilitating platforms for action. Dr. Plipat has more than 20 years’ experience in international law and policy on governance, justice, and human rights. Recently, Dr. Plipat was Executive Director of Freemuse where he led research and advocacy in over 20 countries for reform of policy and laws used to restrict fundamental rights in ways that are inconsistent with international human rights standards.

Dr. Plipat previously served as Transparency International’s Director for Asia Pacific where he managed TI’s strategy, research, and advocacy focusing on strengthening anti-corruption legal frameworks, rule of law, and accountable governance. He led the development of a research tool to measure the performances and independence of anti-corruption agencies and found TI programs in Afghanistan, Bhutan, East Timor, and Myanmar. At Amnesty International, Dr. Plipat was Director of AI’s movement building, mobilization strategy, people engagement, and human rights education. He managed AI operations and regional projects in over 15 countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe. As Director of AI Thailand, he co-led the national campaign for the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Plipat was a consultant for the World Bank Institute in Washington DC, advising on participatory governance and strategic partnership with civil society. He holds a PhD in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, PA, and a M.Sc and B.A. from Thamassat University in Thailand.

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