Public Interest Litigation in Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Proposed Mechanism in Tribunal for Consumer Claims

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as a means of settlement in the Tribunal for Consumer Claims assists consumers and business operators in negotiating an agreed settlement in relation to consumer's claim. However, it is limited in its function in upholding consumerism values whereby the weaker consumers weaker may only give in to stronger business operators since legal representation is denied in Tribunal for Consumer Claims. Using the qualitative approach this paper argues that public interest litigation public interest litigation should be considered in the existing framework of the Malaysian Tribunal for Consumer Claims in order to uplift the rights of consumers.