LPQB, please decide before 31 December to allow UEC-holders to take CLP exams

A letter to the Editor

I am a final year LLB student with Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) qualification, intending to sit for the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) examination.

For UK law degree holders, one must fulfill the following criteria in order to qualify as a candidate of the CLP examination: SPM (minimum 3 credits) AND a recognized law degree AND STPM or A-Levels.

The Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB) decided in 2005 that the UEC is to be no longer recognised as a qualification equivalent to SPM and STPM, respectively, for purposes of application as candidates to sit for the CLP Examination. An applicant who has a UEC is also required to possess a minimum of 2 principal passes at STPM or A-Level.

First, even after the decision in 2005, the UEC (already fraught with problems of recognition), has always been accepted as a qualification for CLP examinations. In other words, the decision was never enforced and previously UEC students were able to register for CLP.  So this begs the question, why now?

Second, UEC has been recognized by top Universities around the world, but why is it not recognized by LPQB?

Since the issue has been highlighted about a week ago, United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM) urged LPQB to give reasons for its decision, politicians from both sides of the divide have joined the debate, and ultra-Malay group Perkasa threatens ‘war’ on government if UEC is recognised in this beloved country where we wave the 1Malaysia flag.

This ‘sudden enforcement’ not only affects prospective students but also current LLB students and LLB students that just graduated this year and sitting in their CLP classes, not knowing whether they can register for CLP or not.

Some people may say that it would be alright to retake A-levels after you complete your LLB. For me this absolutely makes no sense. Why would I retake a pre-university course when I’ve already completed my studies in University? Imagine the costs and time involved! Even if I wanted to retake A-levels after I finished my LLB, regulations bar me from doing so.

On a side note, not only are UEC students affected, so are diploma and foundation-holders from private colleges.

The only other option besides CLP is the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) in UK, which could range from RM 80,000 to RM 100,000, excluding travel and living expenses. But this option is only really available to those who can afford it. For the rest of us, we are at a dead end.

My request is that LPQB to consult all the relevant stakeholders before enforcing the 2005 decision so that a proper implementation timeline can be put in place that is fair to all non-STPM and A-level law students.

Meanwhile, as a stopgap measure, ensure all existing non-STPM and UEC law students who intends to sit for the CLP exam would not be affected by the 2005 decision.

It is also clearly insufficient for LPQB to keep the regulations there but not enforce it temporarily; this leaves the students in a limbo, not knowing when it may be enforced.

The application deadline for those who wish to sit for the coming CLP exams is 31 December 2017, I ask LPQB to stop quibbling and let the students take their exams.