Curtin Sarawak students visit Miri Court Complex

Miri – 24 June 2010 – A group of about twenty Business Law 100 and Law (Business Organisation) 222 students of Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) recently paid an educational visit to the Miri Court Complex, which houses the city’s High Court, Sessions Court and Magistrate’s Court, at Jalan Merdu here.

They were led by Business Law lecturers Ariffin Mohamad, Wan Nurul Hawa Othman and Alice Urud.

Meeting them on arrival was Miri High Court Senior Assistant Registrar Abdul Raafidin Majidi, who later briefed the students on the hierarchy of the courts and the roles of the different officers of the courts.

He also briefed them on court etiquette, such as what to do when entering and exiting the courts while they are in session, how and where different cases are filed, how court files are kept, and what happens to ‘closed’ files after cases have been settled.

Following a tour of the 3-storey court complex, the group observed the Electronic Court, the only one of its kind in Malaysia, in session. Under the Electronic Court System, which has been used since last year and is expected to be eventually adopted by courts nationwide, transcripts of court testimonies and rulings can be ready within two to three minutes, the transcripts being prepared and printed inside the court during the proceedings.

“We were especially impressed with the Electronic Court. It is very unique in that parties from different parts of the state need not physically attend certain court proceedings. Instead, the proceedings can be conducted by way of tele-conferencing,” said student Phang Hsiao Hsien.

“It was very interesting to discover how extensively the courts use video-conferencing facilities to conduct proceedings online with lawyers in other locations. Judges, prosecuting officers and lawyers can thus save on travel costs and time in dealing with their cases. We’re given to understand that, as a result, the courts have practically zero-backlog of cases,” said Phang’s classmate, Wee Siew Huay.

Wee added that the students were fortunate enough to be able to observe briefly a murder trial being conducted in the High Court, and also meet Sessions Court Judge Tuan Awang Krisnada bin Haji Awang Mahmud.

According to Wee, the judge shared his experiences in the judiciary and fielded questions on some of the cases he has presided, which the students found very insightful.

The visit ended with a presentation of a token of appreciation by the students to the judge, and refreshments hosted by the Judicial Department.

According to the Head of the Accounting Department at Curtin Sarawak’s School of Business, Anbalagan Krishnan, the visit allowed the students to gain better insights into the theories they learn in the classroom. He thanked the Judicial Department for hosting the visit and said the students came away being very impressed with the achievements of the judicial staff and all those involved in dealing with court cases in Miri.

The Dean of School of Business, Shamsul Kamariah Abdullah, meanwhile said that such educational visits are a good learning experience for the students in line with Curtin’s ‘triple-i’ curriculum model which ensures industry links, intercultural and indigenous awareness and interdisciplinary study are embedded into each course curriculum.

“At Curtin Sarawak, we invest a lot in high quality teaching and research methods and our courses have applied, practical subjects with a strong emphasis on industry links that allow our students to work closely with industry in their chosen fields. To best meet student and industry needs, we apply the ‘triple-i’ model, and as a result, students receive a diverse, challenging and rewarding education grounded in the real world, and more importantly, are job-ready when they graduate,” she said.

For more information on the School of Business and the programmes it offers, log on to www.curtin.edu.my/sch_dept/SOBusiness or call Curtin Sarawak’s Student Recruitment Department at +60 85 443 939.

Senior Assistant Registrar Abdul Raafidin Majidi giving briefing on Miri Court Complex.

Briefing by Senior Assistant Registrar Abdul Raafidin Majidi on Electronic Court.

The students, lecturers and court officials pose for group photo.

Alice Urud presents token of appreciation to Tuan Awang Krisnada bin Haji Awang Mahmud.

Students Phang Hsiao Hsien (left) and Wee Siew Huay (right).