He said the state cannot open its floodgates for foreign lawyers from countries like Australia, United Kingdom, Singapore and United States, besides those from Malaya, to come in to practise law as resident lawyers in Sarawak.
“What would happen if they just open a small office manned by a clerk or by modern technology and will not physically be in Sarawak but operating from overseas? “ he asked in a statement.
“There is a need to protect the rice bowl of our children and future generations because we do not have the resources to compete with foreigners,” he said.
Yesterday, Voon, who is a practising lawyer, lost his appeal to intervene the application of former Chief Justice of the Federal Court Tun Richard Malanjum and former Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri David Wong Dak Wah to practise law in Sarawak.
The Court of Appeal ruled that he had no locus standi to intervene in the application.
The court ruled that only the Sarawak Advocates Association (AAS) and the Sarawak government which is represented by the Sarawak Attorney General Chambers (SAG) and no others have the right to appear in court when lawyers outside Sarawak seek admission to practise law in Sarawak.
Voon said the GPS government needs to seriously look into this because there is protection under the Federal Constitution and under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 to restrict practitioners who are not Sarawakians to practise law in the state.
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