This document discusses the right to equality under Article 8 of the Malaysian constitution. It provides examples of how the courts have interpreted and applied Article 8 over time. The key points are: - Article 8 guarantees equality before the law and equal protection under the law for all persons. The courts have stated this means one uniform law applies equally to all citizens regardless of status. - There are express exceptions allowed under Article 8(5) for personal and religious laws as well as affirmative action. - Even if a law discriminates, it may still comply with Article 8 if the discrimination is based on a reasonable and just classification as determined by the courts. Such classifications must have a rational connection to the objective of the law

1. Article 8
The Right to Equality

2. Article 8 (1)
All persons are equal before the law
and entitled to the equal protection
of the law.

3. PPPP vv TTeennggkkuu MMaahhmmoooodd IIsskkaannddaarr
[[11997711]] MMLLJJ 112288
The High Court, having regard to the
gravity of the offence, substituted a
more severe sentence for a lesser
one imposed by a lower court, which
had taken into account the status of
the accused as a Prince of the ruling
house of the state of Johore.

4. The High Court is stated that the decision of the lower court
"had ... conflicted with the provisions of Article 8 of our
Constitution which says that all persons are equal before
the law.
That implies that there is only one kind of law in the country
to which all citizens are amenable.
Every citizen, irrespective of his official or social status, is
under the same responsibility for every act done without
legal justification.
This equality of all in the eyes of the law minimises
tyranny".

5. RRuullee ooff LLaaww
Equality before the law.
It excludes the idea of any exception of government
officials or other people
from the duty of obedience to
the law or from the jurisdiction of the court.
The rule of law implies that every person is equally
subject to the law.
The social or political or economical status of an
individual is by itself no answer to legal
proceedings, civil or criminal.
Everyone, whatever his position must be ready to
justify his actions by reference to some specific
legal rule and be ready to justify them in the
ordinary courts.

6. Article 8(2)
There shall be no discrimination against citizens
on the ground only of
 Religion,
 Race,
 Descent,
 Place of birth or
 Gender

7. Article 8(2) in any law or
in the appointment to any office or employment
under a public authority or
in the administration of any law relating to
 The acquisition, holding or disposition of
property or
 The establishing or carrying on of any trade,
business, profession, vocation or
employment.
Except as expressly authorised by this
Constitution.
(i.e. (5) of this article)

8. Article 8
(3) There shall be no discrimination in
favour of any person on the ground that
he is a subject of the Ruler of any State.
(4) No public authority shall discriminate
against any person on the ground that
he is resident or
carrying on business in any part of the
Federation outside the jurisdiction of the
authority.

9. Datuk Haji Harun bin Haji Idris v. Public
Prosecutor [1977] 2 MLJ 155
The prohibition of unequal treatment applies
not only to the legislature but also to the
executive.
This is seen from the use of the words
“public authority” in clause (4) and
“practice” in clause (5)(b) of Article 8.
The prohibition applies to both substantive and
procedural laws.

10. Equality = Justice ?

11. PP v Su Liang Yu [1976] MLJ 2 128
The dominant idea in both expressions
“equal before the law”
and
“equal protection of the law”
is that of
equal justice.

12. Does not guarantee equality that is not just.
Allow difference of treatment that attains
justice.
• Express Exceptions
• Implied Exception (Judicial Exception)

13. ? Law Complies With Art 8 ?
The first question should be asked is
‘ Is the law discriminatory?’
Not discriminatory - It is a good law.
Discriminatory - We have to ask another question
‘Is the discrimination in the law allowed?’
- If it is allowed (either expressly allowed by the
constitution or is allowed by judicial
interpretation) the law is good.
- If it is not allowed, the law is void.

14. EExxcceeppttiioonnss ttoo GGeenneerraall RRuullee
• EExxpprreessss EExxcceeppttiioonnss
• IImmpplliieedd EExxcceeppttiioonn
SSiittuuaattiioonnss wwhheerree eeqquuaalliittyy ddooeess nnoott pprroommoottee
jjuussttiiccee

15. TThhee EExxpprreessss EExxcceeppttiioonnss
AArrttiiccllee 88 ((55)).. ‘‘TThhiiss AArrttiiccllee ddooeess nnoott iinnvvaalliiddaattee oorr pprroohhiibbiitt……’’
TThhee ffoolllloowwiinnggss aarree aalllloowweedd ((bbeeccaauussee tthheeyy aarree eexxpprreessssllyy
eexxcceepptteedd bbyy tthhee CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonn))::
‘‘((aa)) aannyy pprroovviissiioonn rreegguullaattiinngg ppeerrssoonnaall llaaww;;’’
• ii..ee.. IIssllaammiicc LLaawwss
’’((bb)) aannyy pprroovviissiioonn oorr pprraaccttiiccee rreessttrriiccttiinngg ooffffiiccee oorr
eemmppllooyymmeenntt ccoonnnneecctteedd wwiitthh tthhee aaffffaaiirrss ooff aannyy rreelliiggiioonn,, oorr
ooff aann iinnssttiittuuttiioonn mmaannaaggeedd bbyy aa ggrroouupp pprrooffeessssiinngg aannyy
rreelliiggiioonn,, ttoo ppeerrssoonnss pprrooffeessssiinngg tthhaatt rreelliiggiioonn;;’’
• ii..ee.. AAddmmiinniissttrraattiioonn ooff rreelliiggiioouuss iinnssttiittuuttiioonnss ssuucchh aass
mmoossqquuee..

16. TThhee EExxpprreessss EExxcceeppttiioonnss
‘‘((cc)) aannyy pprroovviissiioonn ffoorr tthhee pprrootteeccttiioonn,, wweellll--bbeeiinngg oorr
aaddvvaanncceemmeenntt ooff tthhee aabboorriiggiinnaall ppeeoopplleess ooff tthhee MMaallaayy
PPeenniinnssuullaa ((iinncclluuddiinngg tthhee rreesseerrvvaattiioonn ooff llaanndd)) oorr tthhee
rreesseerrvvaattiioonn ttoo aabboorriiggiinneess ooff aa rreeaassoonnaabbllee pprrooppoorrttiioonn ooff
ssuuiittaabbllee ppoossiittiioonnss iinn tthhee ppuubblliicc sseerrvviiccee;;’’
• ii..ee.. MMaallaayy pprriivviilleeggeess.. AArrtt.. 115522 aanndd 115533,, aanndd rreellaatteedd llaawwss
’’((dd)) aannyy pprroovviissiioonn pprreessccrriibbiinngg rreessiiddeennccee iinn aa SSttaattee oorr
ppaarrtt ooff aa SSttaattee aass aa qquuaalliiffiiccaattiioonn ffoorr eelleeccttiioonn oorr
aappppooiinnttmmeenntt ttoo aannyy aauutthhoorriittyy hhaavviinngg jjuurriissddiiccttiioonn oonnllyy iinn
tthhaatt SSttaattee oorr ppaarrtt,, oorr ffoorr vvoottiinngg iinn ssuucchh aann eelleeccttiioonn;;’’
• ii..ee.. LLooccaall aauutthhoorriittyy ssuucchh aass MMaajjlliiss PPeerrbbaannddaarraann,, JJKKKKKK
eettcc..

17. TThhee EExxpprreessss EExxcceeppttiioonnss
’’((ee)) aannyy pprroovviissiioonn ooff aa CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonn ooff aa
SSttaattee,, bbeeiinngg oorr ccoorrrreessppoonnddiinngg ttoo aa
pprroovviissiioonn iinn ffoorrccee iimmmmeeddiiaatteellyy bbeeffoorree
MMeerrddeekkaa DDaayy;;’’
’’((ff)) aannyy pprroovviissiioonn rreessttrriiccttiinngg eennlliissttmmeenntt
iinn tthhee MMaallaayy RReeggiimmeenntt ttoo MMaallaayyss..’’

18. Affirmative Action (Preferential TTrreeaattmmeenntt))::
AA TTooooll ffoorr JJuussttiiccee
AAffffiirrmmaattiivvee aaccttiioonn iiss aa ppoolliiccyy tthhaatt ddiirreeccttllyy oorr iinnddiirreeccttllyy
aawwaarrddss jjoobbss,, pprroommoottiioonnss,, aanndd ootthheerr rreessoouurrcceess ttoo
iinnddiivviidduuaallss oonn tthhee bbaassiiss ooff mmeemmbbeerrsshhiipp iinn aa pprrootteecctteedd
ggrroouupp iinn oorrddeerr ttoo ccoommppeennssaattee tthhoossee ggrroouuppss ffoorr ppaasstt
ddiissccrriimmiinnaattiioonn..
•
TThhrroouugghh aaffffiirrmmaattiivvee aaccttiioonn,, tthhee aauutthhoorriittyy mmaayy ttaakkee
ppoossiittiivvee sstteeppss ttoo ccoorrrreecctt ppaasstt rraacciiaall ddiissccrriimmiinnaattiioonn..
•
AAffffiirrmmaattiivvee aaccttiioonn iiss nnootthhiinngg mmoorree tthhaann rreevveerrssee
ddiissccrriimmiinnaattiioonn..

19. Limitation by Judicial Interpretation on Right to
Equality: Doctrine of Reasonable Classification
PP v Khong Teng Khen [1976] 2 MLJ 166
The principle underlying Article 8 is that
a law must operate alike on all
persons under like circumstance.

20. Limitation by Judicial Interpretation on Right to
Equality: Doctrine of Reasonable Classification
A law is not required to operate on all persons in
any circumstances.
A law is also not required to be general in
character and universal in application
The article does not prohibit the legislature and
executive bodies to distinguish and classify
persons.

21. Doctrine of Reasonable Classification
Thus
The law may classify persons.
The law may classify offences into different
categories.
All that Article 8 guarantees is that
a person in one class should be treated the
same as another person in the same
class.

22. Doctrine of Reasonable Classification
Su Liang Yu [1976] 2 MLJ 128
No person shall be denied equality before the law
or equal protection of the law
but
Article 8 does not prevent Parliament from making
a law based on or involving some classifications.
Discriminatory law is good law if it is based on
“reasonable” or “permissible” classification.

23. Requirements that must be fulfilled by
laws that involve classification
The classification is founded on an intelligible differentia
which distinguishes persons that are grouped together
from others left out of the group.
And
The differentia has a rational relation to the object sought
to be achieved by the law in question.
The classification may be founded on different bases such as
geographical, or according to objects or occupations and
the like.
There must be a nexus between the basis of
classification and the object of the law in question.

24. B Malaysian Baarr && AAnnoorr.. vv GGoovvtt ooff MMaallaayyssiiaa
[[11998877]] 22 MMLLJJ 116655..
AAmmeennddmmeenntt ttoo tthhee LLeeggaall PPrrooffeessssiioonn AAcctt 11997766
mmaakkeess iitt uunnllaawwffuull ffoorr aann aaddvvooccaattee aanndd ssoolliicciittoorr
-- lleessss tthhaann sseevveenn yyeeaarrss ssttaannddiinngg
-- aa mmeemmbbeerr ooff aannyy ppoolliittiiccaall oorrggaanniissaattiioonn oorr ttrraaddee
uunniioonn
ttoo bbee aa mmeemmbbeerr ooff tthhee BBaarr CCoouunncciill oorr aannyy
ccoommmmiitttteeee tthheerreeooff..

25. TThhee SSuupprreemmee CCoouurrtt hheelldd tthhaatt tthheerree wwaass aa
rraattiioonnaall nneexxuuss bbeettwweeeenn
tthhee ppuurrppoossee ooff tthhee llaaww ((ttoo eennssuurree tthhaatt tthhee
BBaarr wwaass rruunn bbyy eexxppeerriieenncceedd,, ccoommppeetteenntt
aanndd iinnddeeppeennddeenntt pprraaccttiittiioonneerrss)) aanndd
tthhee ccllaassssiiffiiccaattiioonn aaddoopptteedd ((lleessss tthhaann sseevveenn
yyeeaarrss ssttaannddiinngg aanndd mmeemmbbeerr ooff aannyy
ppoolliittiiccaall oorrggaanniissaattiioonn oorr ttrraaddee uunniioonn))..