PENANG, Aug 26 (Bernama) -- The Gerakan wants Malaysia to continue applying the English common law and any weaknesses in the law be rectified.

Acting party president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the government should thoroughly study before amending or abolishing any law applied in this country which had proven to be effective.

"The English common law is a fair approach to justice where in the absence of a law to base a judgment, the court can refer to precedents.

"Although the law originates from Britain, our court judges take into consideration local situations and values in applying it," Koh told reporters after the opening of the Penang Gerakan annual delegates' conference by party adviser Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik here Sunday.

Koh was commenting on Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail's statement that the time had come to think of other sources of legal reference apart from English common law in seeking justice.

Gani had said that Islamic law was the best source as it emphasised justice and equal rights.

Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim had also recently suggested that reference to the English common law be abolished as it reflected that the minds of local legal practitioners were still being colonised.

Koh said any drastic changes to existing laws could erode the confidence of the people and foreign investors in the country's laws.

"What we should focus on is improving the implementation and enforcement of the laws," he added.

Koh said the party's stand on the issue, however, did not mean that it did not respect Syariah law.

Meanwhile, Dr Lim said he would convey Gerakan's stand on the issue to the Cabinet.