Chief Justice stresses character over architecture in judiciary tribute

At a reference proceeding held in the Palace of Justice, Chief Justice Tun Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh reminded attendees that a judiciary is forged by the character and conduct of its judges, not by marble courthouses. He honored four former senior judges—Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin, Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad, and Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob—detailing their distinct legacies. Eusoff introduced a clock-in system to stress that judicial time belongs to waiting litigants, while Dzaiddin, the first chief justice from the Bar, championed efficiency and early use of digital hearings.

Abdul Hamid emphasized the principle that judges interpret, not make, law, and his writings on syariah-civil boundaries remain influential. Siti Norma broke multiple glass ceilings for women in the courts, exemplifying patience and incorruptibility. Wan Farid concluded that trust in the courts is built one fair decision at a time.