Marsden Law Book

Summum Bonum (The Ultimate Good) presents the life, experiences and reflections of former Court of Appeal judge, Dato’ Mahadev Shankar. It contains stories which are absorbing, some even tantalising, as readers travel with the author down memory lane and immerse in the unfolding of a life well lived. From early Malaya to WWII, England, family law reform and the pebbled road from Bar to Bench, this book is peppered with the struggles and aspirations of one man on his legal journey. A must-read for members of the legal community, this book brings to life the roots and rich history of the legal community in Malaysia.

This book serves an intimate account about culture, family and one man’s life-long encounter with the law. The author provides insight and colourful perspectives about a Malaya that needs to be remembered, and about the journeys of many brave and resolute men and women who blazed the trail for the Malaysian legal profession.

A deeply moving and often colourful memoir, with its share of humour and historical figures from Malaya, England and Singapore, Summum Bonum will greatly interest the different stakeholders in the legal profession as well as the society at large. The author shares powerful lessons about the law, our collective history and the evolution of a nation much beloved. The celebrity anecdotes included will certainly be a great bonus to the readers as this book which explodes with extraordinary verve about key legal and historical personalities.

Despite his or her title, the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is rarely heard.

Tan Sri Ariff Yusof reveals his side of the storey by dissecting the events and procedures of Parliament and providing an insider’s view of the unprecedented political developments that led to the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government in 2020 and his eventual removal in this brief recollection of his brief tenure as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker. Meanwhile, a global pandemic breaks out, prompting the government’s response to be shaky and Parliament to be suspended.

In the current state of affairs, can we expect any changes from the Parliament? Is there a political motivation to break new ground beyond race and religion? Is it possible for a single speaker to make a difference?

TABLE OF CONTENTS OF PARLIAMENT UNEXPECTED

PART 1: THE BEGINNING
Chapter 1: A Short History of Everything, Not Quite A Memoir
Chapter 2: Jumping Into The Fray
Chapter 3: An Unnecessary Show of Partisan Politics
Chapter 4: No. 3, Jalan Tunku, Bukit Tunku

PART 2: MANAGING THE DEWAN
Chapter 5: Taking Charge
Chapter 6: Speaker, You’re Our Boss!
Chapter 7: Point of Order!
Chapter 8: The Bad, The Crude, The Obscene and The Literary

PART 3: THE REFORMS
Chapter 9: Reforms and Changing Political Culture
Chapter 10: Merakyatkan Parlimen – Formulating A People’s Parliament
Chapter 11: Writing The Malaysian Erskine May
Chapter 12: Senate Issues: Money Bills and Anti-Fake News
Chapter 13: The Constitutional Amendments of Undi 18 and Malaysia Act 1963

PART 4: THE POLITICAL STORM
Chapter 14: The Gathering Dark Clouds
Chapter 15: The Sheraton Move and Its Effects on Parliament and The Speaker’s Office
Chapter 16: Parliament and The Pandemic
Chapter 17: Motion of No-confidence and The Half-Day Parliament
Chapter 18: The Truncated, Suspended Parliament
Chapter 19: Ouster!