KUALA LUMPUR: Twelve lawyers contesting the Bar Council election have denied any involvement in the dissemination of a misleading candidate list.
In a joint statement, Al Sabri Ahmad Kabri, Datuk Azmi Mohd Ali, and 10 other candidates rejected claims that they were part of an "Ultra Malays Group" and denied any affiliation with "Badan Bertindak Profesional Muslim", the organisation allegedly responsible for circulating the narrative.
They clarified that each candidate is running independently and not under the purported banner of Badan Bertindak Profesional Muslim.
"We urge all Bar Council members to vote for your preferred candidates based on merit, idealism, perspectives, and the ability of any candidate to contribute to the overall betterment of the Bar Council," they said.
The group reaffirmed their commitment to fairness and professionalism and urged voters not to be influenced by baseless claims or racial rhetoric.
"This 'psychological warfare' undermines the Bar Council's integrity and erodes its foundations over time. Refusing to vote for candidates based on such fabricated lists only advances the agenda of those seeking to manipulate and divide us," they added.
The other 10 candidates named in the fabricated list are Deidra Nur Azmi, Datuk Fariz Irwan Mustafa, Datuk Dr Kamilia Ibrahim, Mohd Azlisham Jaffar, Murshidah Mustafa, Norhayati Mohamed, Rosnah Zakaria, Samry Masri, Datuk Yasmeen Mohd Shariff, and Zainal Abidin Shaik Zakaria.
Separately, another group of candidates has been identified as the "Star Group".
Concerns have been raised about the introduction of race and religion into the Bar Council election campaign, with lawyers warning that such tactics could undermine the body's professionalism and contradict its stance against discrimination.
This follows the circulation of a 16-member list on social media, accompanied by a Quranic verse referencing Jews and Christians.
Former council president Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari urged members to refrain from spreading such messages, emphasising that the Malaysian Bar stands free from distinctions of colour, race, creed, or religion.
The Malaysian Bar is currently electing 16 members to the Bar Council. These members will join the immediate past president, vice-president, and chairpersons of the 12 state bar committees from Peninsular Malaysia.
Each state bar will subsequently elect a second representative, completing the 42-member Bar Council. The national election is underway via postal ballots, with lawyers having until Nov 30 to submit their votes.
The ballots will be counted the following day.