Wanita Gerakan is glad that the government has kept its word on setting up the Legal Aid Foundation (LAF) to provide legal aid to the poor.

Wanita Gerakan secretary-general Jayanthi Devi Balaguru said today that every citizen should be protected by the law and those in need of legal representation should be given the opportunity to do so.

“The law should protect everyone and there should not be any distinction between the rich and poor as far as legal redress and justice are concerned,” she said in a statement.

Jayanthi said the poor should not be deprived of legal representation, just because he or she did not have the financial means.

“No man or woman can be equal before law, if he or she is denied justice simply because he or she cannot afford to seek justice… equality before law can only be meaningful, if our legal system is accessible and affordable to all, poor and rich,” said Jayanthi, who is also deputy head of Gerakan’s Law & Human Rights Bureau.

She thanked the government and the Bar Council for the initiative to set up the LAF, adding that justice for all should be the top priority.

In July, Bar Council chairman Ragunath Kesavan said that the Prime Minister was keen on the LAF which was in the final stages of being established.

Yesterday, Bar Council vice-chairman Lim Chee Wee said that LAF would be set up by year-end.