Viral video of Malaysian Attorney-General, Chief Justice dancing on stage draws mixed reactions
Malaysia's Attorney-General, Chief Justice criticised for dancing at social event
PETALING JAYA: A video of Malaysia's Attorney-General Tommy Thomas and Chief Justice Richard Malanjum dancing on stage at a social event went viral and has garnered varied reactions.
Umno criticised the incident but others stood up for Mr Thomas and Mr Malanjum, describing the matter as "normal and harmless", with some asking what was the issue with lawyers and judges letting their hair down at a closed-door function for the legal fraternity, The Star reported .
"If there is any complaint, it is their bad dancing,"said one netizen.
The video was recorded during a dinner on Friday at a hotel in Kota Kinabalu, which was hosted by the Sabah Law Society (SLS) in conjunction with the Opening of Legal Year 2019.
Mr Thomas and Mr Malanjum were seen dancing to a popular 60s rock 'n' roll tune Let's Twist Again by Chubby Checker.
SLS president Brenndon Soh said the function was an annual celebratory tradition for Sabah and Sarawak, attended by members of the legal fraternity, The Star reported.
The event, he said, has been held since 2001 and it was a hallmark of the legal community.
"The only real 'twist' is that of the facts and we have faith that our society is similarly mature enough to recognise that the individuals in the video are able to separate their professional life from the personal," he said.
De facto Law Minister Liew Vui Keong was also seen in the video. He said he was invited to the stage by organisers as the event was held on his birthday.
In an interview with Sinar Harian, Mr Liew said he danced with several important individuals in the legal fraternity.
"We were invited to dance as the organisers invited us to the stage. But we only danced for one song," he said.
Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the incident was an embarrassment as members of the legal system must display sensitivity when engaging each other during social interactions.
"What more if it involves the Chief Justice and Attorney-General who socialise with politicians and high-profile individuals, which can surely court controversy and chip away at the rakyat's trust towards any decision they make in future," he said.
Both men should voluntarily resign, said Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaacob .
He said the public was not questioning an individual's right to dance, but in this case, it was who these individuals are that raised questions, the New Straits Times reported.
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