Justice on Wheels programme to expand to Peninsular M’sia

The Legal Aid Department will expand the Justice on Wheels (JoW) programme to Peninsular Malaysia to provide understanding and assistance to the B40 group in resolving legal issues.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said the first JoW programme in Peninsular Malaysia would be implemented in Negeri Sembilan at the end of the month and move to other suitable locations based on public demand.

“We started in Sabah and Sarawak in early January. Based on high demand, we decided to expand to Peninsular Malaysia, starting in Negeri Sembilan and then possibly Perak and other places.

“From our findings, many issues involve inheritance matters and most residents do not have access to resources to resolve them. The JoW platform is seen as capable of providing help,” he said after officiating the Legal Affairs Division’s “Meet the Customer Day” event, which was attended by over 500 visitors at the Aeon Big Falim here on Sunday.

On Jan 25, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the JoW programme not only involves mobile counter services that use vans to provide legal assistance but also functions to disseminate information about national laws.

Kulasegaran said since its implementation in Sabah and Sarawak, the JoW programme has successfully provided legal advice to 358 clients as at June 30.

Commenting on Sunday’s event, he said 13 departments, agencies and NGOs participated to promote their respective roles to the public.

He added that the JoW programme is an effort by the division to provide understanding to the public regarding government policies, acts, procedures and specific guidelines related to the roles of the departments and agencies involved.

“Among those involved are the division, the Perak Legal Aid Department, the Malaysian Department of Insolvency, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, the National Registration Department and the Office of the Registrar of the Federal Court.

“Our hope is that this will benefit all groups and the platform will be seen as a facilitator for all agencies and departments to engage with the public more deeply.” – Bernama