WE SALUTE YOU TUN SUFFIAN
A great man and a great judge has passed away. Tun Suffian bin Hashim will always be remembered as a person with the highest integrity and a judge who always wanted to protect jealously the independence of the judiciary. He always strikes me as a true gentleman, full of sincerity and good humour. When he was leader of the judicial institution, he constantly reminded his subordinates on the importance to uphold truth and justice. We then had the best of judges.
During Tun Suffian’s tenure as Lord President, the Malaysian judiciary was held in high respect. This continued to prevail during the time of his successor, Tun Salleh Abas, until the latter was unjustly sacked from office. Since then, the judiciary has gone steadily downhill. Under questionable and weak leadership the judiciary has lost its integrity, independence and respect. Many people cynically joke that we now have some of the best judges that money can buy.
I have known Tun Suffian for quite some time and had the opportunity to talk and exchange letters with him on a few occasions about some matters. He has written a number of books. When I was detained in Kamunting under the ISA, he sent me an autographed copy of his book on the Malaysian Constitution. He was very enthusiastic about my book the "Two Faces", which describes my six year detention experiences. In fact, a few years ago he asked his good friends Dr Yaacob and Dr Tengku Sufiah, in whose home he spent the last few months of his life, to promote the sale of the book among lawyers during one of their meetings.
Tun Suffian has left many works that will long be referred to by students and practitioners of law. This is an important heritage. But it is unfortunate that he has not been able to inherit the admirable qualities of integrity and independence of the judiciary, which he always wanted to promote and preserve. Perhaps he died a bitter and disappointed man; bitter because he saw the leader of the country succeed in making the judiciary docile and submissive to him, and disappointed that most of the senior judges in the country have failed to defend truth and justice in their courts.
Tun Suffian’s demise should remind us that not only the judiciary, but all important institutions in this country should not be led by people of questionable competence, credibility and integrity. Presently, many seem to be beholden to their political masters who have given them positions they hardly deserve. Some of them also have numerous skeletons in their cupboards, and so are constantly in fear that their masters will expose them. As a result they cannot but become sycophantic. It is time that competent, qualified, clean, incorruptible, moral, ethical, responsible, accountable, humane and human persons replace the leadership of all the institutions in the country. Only then can we be guaranteed of a blessed, good and safe future for the people and the country.
Dr Syed Husin Ali
President, PRM
27th September 2000