CJ launches Malaysian International Mediation Centre

Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat at the launch of the Malaysian International Mediation Centre today. She is flanked by MIMC chairman Abdul Fareed Abdul Gafoor and Malaysian Bar president Karen Cheah.

KUALA LUMPUR: Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat launched the Malaysian International Mediation Centre (MIMC) at the Malaysian Bar building today.

The mediation centre, which is under the patronage of the Bar Council, offers a streamlined alternative for parties to resolve disputes – thus bypassing the complexities of court processes.

MIMC chairman Abdul Fareed Abdul Gafoor emphasised the court’s strong endorsement of mediation as a less cumbersome means to settle disputes.

A former Malaysian Bar president, Fareed also said mediation was crucial in alleviating the “substantial backlog” of court cases.

“The mediator will facilitate parties to discuss their problems and find a middle path to resolve it.

“We believe everything can be mediated, except for criminal charges.

“However, mediation is a voluntary process, and no one should be coerced into it,” he told reporters.

He said the mediators’ role is to “put some sense in the involved parties’ heads” for a consensus to be reached.

MIMC has more than 200 registered mediators.

Also present at the event were Justice Surya Kant of India’s Supreme Court and Malaysian Bar president Karen Cheah.