Magna Carta exhibit at Supreme Court intrigues history buffs
It was her day off on Thursday, but instead of resting at home, history buff, Nuraishah Ishak headed down to the Supreme Court.
She was not there to sit in for a hearing, but rather, the 31-year-old wanted to catch a glimpse of the Hereford Cathedral’s copy of the Magna Carta on the first day of its public exhibit in Singapore.
The Magna Carta, which is Latin for Great Charter, is currently on display at the Supreme Court until next Monday.
According to Nuraishah she is interested to find out more about the world’s oldest legal documents currently in Singapore as part of the Magna Carta Octocentenary and the country’s Golden Jubilee.
“I know that the Magna Carta is related to many laws globally. That is why I am here, to learn more about it and how it helped shape law everywhere in the world.
“It is also connected to Singapore history as we do follow it and it is a waste if we do not know about this important piece of historical artifact,” she said.
The Magna Carta being exhibited is just one of four copies from 1217 still in existence.
It is the foundation of the principles in English Law — later Common Law which Singapore and the UK both share — that everyone, even the ruler, is subject to the law, and that everyone has certain rights that must be protected by the law.
It is accompanied in Singapore by the only surviving copy of the 1215’s King’s Writ, a letter from King John to local authorities announcing the issuing of Magna Carta.
Another visitor to the exhibition, Jesulyn Lim said that she first heard about the Magna Carta from her friends who went to UK to look at it.
“It is informative as it shows the legal history of law in different countries and it was an inspiration of the rights that we have today,” she added.
