11 Appointed Members Of Aiac Advisory Board

KUALA LUMPUR,  Aug 23 (Bernama) -- The fifth Secretary General of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organisation (AALCO) Prof Datuk Dr Rahmat Mohamad has been appointed as the chairman of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) Advisory Board for the 2023 - 2025 session.

The Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) of the Prime Minister's Department, in a statement today, said the AIAC Advisory Board was formed by the government to further improve the existing AIAC Advisory Council.

It said the AIAC Advisory Board will, among other things, play a check and balance role and contribute views, recommendations and strategic advice regarding the administration and management of AIAC.

"This Advisory Board is also responsible for formulating important policies, determining strategies and action plans to strengthen and improve AIAC's activities so that its position as an independent body is always preserved and competitive, apart from positioning it as a centre for resolving major disputes in the Asia Pacific region,  as well as internationally,  in line with the goals of Malaysia MADANI, ” read the statement.

According to BHEUU, also appointed are 10 members of the board involving various backgrounds and the appointments were made by the Minister of Law and Institutional Reform, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

They are Solicitor General Datuk Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh; BHEUU Director-General Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud; former Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof and Independent Non-Executive Director of Media Prima Bhd Datuk Shireen Ann Zaharah Muhiudeen.

Also appointed are Malaysian Bar Council president Karen Cheah Yee Lynn and five legal practitioners,  namely Datuk Philip Chan Hon Keong; Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin; Michael Chai Woon Chew; Professor Doug Jones and Professor Philip Yang.

In another development, BHEUU said the government had agreed that the Agreement Between The Government Of Malaysia And AALCO Relating To The AIAC in Kuala Lumpur, which is also known as the Host Country Agreement (HCA),  be renewed for a period of five years effective last March 15 until March 14 2028.

"This HCA will ensure the continuity and survival of AIAC which has been providing  ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) services domestically and abroad since 1978," it said.

According to BHEUU, the renewal of the agreement will also continue to position Malaysia as a safe and secure ADR hub.

The government also hoped that the appointment of the AIAC Advisory Board and the reform of the HCA would ensure  AIAC’s position as a superior and competitive body on par with other arbitration centres in the world.

-- BERNAMA