HomeNewsBeritaBusinessLifestyleOpinionWorldSportsPropertyEducationCarzillaGalleryVideosAccelerator

Constitution being tested to its limits, says CJ

-

Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat tells judges to be impartial even when dealing with cases involving public figures.

0
Shares
Total Views: 1
Free Malaysia Today
Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat says judges are often labelled as ‘conservative’ or ‘liberal’ but must work to achieve the label of ‘impartial’.

PUTRAJAYA:
The provisions in the Federal Constitution are being stretched and tested to the limits, Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said, adding that the judiciary must therefore remain impartial and ever ready to deliver justice according to the rule of law.

The top judge said she had no doubt that judges would rise to the occasion as the “times we are living in are indeed challenging”.

“It is in times like these that the judiciary must remain impartial,” she said in her opening remarks at the induction programme for nine judicial commissioners (JCs) here two days ago.

“You are bound to hear cases which attract public attention and/or cases which involve public figures,” she said, adding that “no matter your impartiality, your decision will not be received impartially nor viewed objectively”.

Today, she presented their appointment letters and also witnessed the elevation of five High Court judges to the Court of Appeal.

JC Amelati Parnell took her oath of office before Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim.

JCs Norliza Othman, Hasbullah Adam, Samsulbahri Ibrahim, Roslan Mat Nor, Julia Ibrahim, Mohd Arief Emran Arifin, John Lee Kien How @ Mohd Johan Lee and Adlin Abdul Majid took their oath before Chief Judge of Malaya Azahar Mohamed.

Meanwhile judges Ghazali Cha, Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, Mariana Yahya, See Mee Chun and Hashim Hamzah took their oath of office before Court of Appeal president Rohana Yusuf.

Tengku Maimun also said that in discharging their judicial duties, judges did not have the privilege of choosing which cases they want to adjudicate.

More often than not, she said, a judge’s decision would be viewed with intense sentiments. Nevertheless, she said one should not be unduly concerned with what others may say about a decision, be it the executive, legislative branch, people on the street or even their own peers.

“You must remain steadfast in upholding the rule of law. It is common to hear judges being labelled as a ‘conservative’ or a ‘liberal’. As far as I am concerned, only one label matters: ‘impartial’ judge,” she said.

Tengku Maimun said one should only be concerned with the law, not any extraneous matters.

She said any implication that may arise from a decision, social or political, was outside a judge’s domain as that belonged to the executive and legislative branches.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.