By Mahadhir bin Monihuldin
GOMBAK, 2 August 2017: IIUM’s mooting team has successfully clinched second place in the national round of 12th LAWASIA Mooting Competition held in Kuala Lumpur recently to qualify them for the international round in Tokyo, Japan from 18 to 21 September this year.
With their glorious rise onto the global arena of mooting, the team which comprises of AIKOL students Ijlal Hafeedz, Aliaa Anwar and Zulaikha Rohaizat, has a message for all law students in IIUM.
“Mooting, as commonly known to law students, is a gruelling exercise, but I think our recent success highlights that even with all that, the reward is lucrative,” the mooting team told IIUMToday.
“This feat elevates the perception surrounding the activity of mooting in the sense that it becomes material evidence that hard-work and commitment will eventually be rewarded.”
A moot court competition imitates the proceedings in real life court hearings where participants analyse a problem, research the relevant laws at hand, prepare written submissions, and present an oral argument.
Before grabbing the runner up position for the national round of the competition, IIUM’s mooting team was able to overcome the prestigious Malaysian law universities, the likes of Brickfields Asia College, in the semifinals, as well as Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) and Multimedia University (MMU), in the preliminary rounds.
Although the international stage in Tokyo will prove to be an even bigger obstacle for the team, Ijlal, Aliaa and Zulaikha have nothing but positivity going forward.
“We take it as a chance to measure where we stand on the global stage, and the only way to do so, and to learn more, is to be in a room where you’re not the smartest person in it,” they shared.
Regardless of the outcome, the team expressed their utmost gratitude to everyone who has helped them throughout the journey, morally and materially.
With enthusiasm they stated, “Mark our words, we will do our level best and soldier on so that every step we take will be rewarded, and if we win, it’s for the benefit of us all.” ***
