Outgoing Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat advised judges to decide fairly and objectively.
They must do so even if faced by the executive branch of government or others with vested interests seeking a decision to swing a certain way.
“When I was appointed the first female chief justice of Malaysia, someone asked me: what would you do, if the executive or any other influential party demanded that you decide a case in a certain way?
“What would you do if you were faced with requests to appoint certain persons as judges or make decisions that you know to be wrong in law but right for the party with the vested interest?
“Before I answer the question, let me stress this: a judge must always decide justly, fairly, and objectively,” Tengku Maimun said during a speech at the Opening of Legal Year 2025 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre today.
During her final speech as the outgoing Chief Justice at the Opening of the Legal Year 2025, Tengku Maimun said she has been criticised, vilified and labelled un-Islamic or an enemy of Islam, including having her spouse unfairly used against her in attempts to force her recusal.
Yet, she said she remained steadfast in her belief, stating that none of these attempts have passed or ever will pass the test of her conscience.
Tengku Maimun also highlighted several landmark decisions on the scope of powers of the federal and state legislature, as she acknowledged that some parties have spun those decisions to appear as if the Judiciary or some judges within it, including herself, were anti-Islam.
“Some even questioned my faith as a Muslim. It is not for me to question the faith of others because in the first place I will never know, until the Day of Reckoning, whether Allah SWT has accepted my own (worship and deeds).
“And so, I will not bring myself to stoop down to the level of these scurrilous attacks.
“I stand firmly by what I do as a judge and Chief Justice and I will continue to believe in what is right.
“The spin doctors, naysayers and critics can say what they will and turn something noble into a purported vilification of Islam,” she said.