Mr. Derek John Fernandez has been appointed as Commission Member of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission. He is the Chairman of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission Online Harms and Information Security Committee and its Legal Committee.
Mr. Derek John Fernandez obtained his B.Sc., LL.B. (Hons.) from Monash University, Australia, and was called to the Victorian Bar Australia on 8th November 1989 and the Malaysian Bar on 22 February 1991. He has been practicing law for the past 30 years as an Advocate and Solicitors of the High Court of Malaya and a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia. He is also the Managing Partner of Messrs Fernandez & Selvarajah, a reputable litigation firm in Malaysia. He had served for thirteen years as a senior councillor with the Petaling Jaya City Council (“MBPJ”). He was a member of the Finance, Planning and Development Committees of Petaling Jaya City Council.
Mr. Derek John Fernandez is also a director of CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) and a member of its Cybersecurity Audit Committee. He had also written a paper with an action plan entitled “Cybersecurity : The need for a change in Approach” dated 26 August 2022, which was submitted to the Minister of Communications and Digital. The paper has been used in part to formulate National Cybersecurity strategies and policies. Mr. Derek John Fernandez is also the Chairman of the Technical Committee involved in preparing draft Guidelines on Information and Network Security for communications and multimedia industry.
Mr. Derek John Fernandez is also a Commissioner of the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) where he chairs its Legal Committee. He further serves as a legal advisor to several Members of Parliament, State Assemblymen, and Chief Ministers.
Mr. Derek John Fernandez also held multiple positions and responsibilities as an environmental and legal activist, including the Chairman of the Joint Action Committee for Bukit Gasing in Petaling Jaya as well as the Chairman of various working groups set up by the Selangor State Government in relation to local government, town and country planning and land law. He was directly involved in the preparation of master plan use zoning plans such as the State Structure 2 Plan for Selangor, the Structure Plan for Petaling District and the Local Plans for Petaling Jaya where he represented thousands of residents. He also represented several organisations and Residents’ Associations in the Draft Kuala Lumpur Plan hearings, as well as residents in the Subang Jaya Local Plan hearings. He also served on the Malaysian Bar Council’s Task Force looking into the Bukit Antarabangsa tragedy. His notable contributions to the development of financial governance in MBPJ included the setting up of an Audit and Governance Committee in MBPJ, improving City Council’s non-rate revenue through the management of outdoor advertising, and critical infrastructure trust funds and development charges. He is presently a Trustee of the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).