Tun Mohamed Suffian bin Mohamed Hashim (12 November 1917 – 26 September 2000) was a

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

n judge, eventually serving as Lord President of the Federal Court from 1974 to 1982. He had previously served as Chief Justice of Malaya. Tun Suffian was born in 1917 in Kota Lama Kiri, a small village on the banks of Sungai Perak near

Kuala Kangsar Kuala Kangsar (Perak Malay: ) is the royal town of Perak, Malaysia. It is located at the downstream of Kangsar River where it joins the Perak River, approximately northwest of Ipoh, Perak's capital, and southeast of George Town, Penang, Ge ...

and went to the Malay School, Lenggong and Clifford School, Kuala Kangsar, before going to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on a Queen's scholarship in 1936. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, unable to return home from

because of the Japanese Occupation, he worked as a news broadcaster and commentator with the All-India Radio,

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, and later with the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in London where he acquired an interest in current affairs and in lucid writing.

Education

Tun Suffian read law at

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

before becoming a member of

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

. He also held an honorary LL.D. from the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national university, national Public university, public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University ...

and an honorary D.Litt. from

University of Malaya The Universiti Malaya (lit 'University of Malaya'; abbreviated UM) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest Malaysian institution of higher education, and was the only university in ...

Legacy

Suffian was widely regarded as a respected judicial figure who was a fierce defender of judiciary's independence.

1982 Braddell Memorial Lecture

When speaking of the Malaysian judiciary to a Singapore audience he said:

In a multi-racial and multi-religious society like yours and mine, while we judges cannot help being Malay or Chinese or Indian; or being Muslim or Buddhist or Hindu or whatever, we strive not to be too identified with any particular race or religion – so that nobody reading our judgment with our name deleted could with confidence identify our race or religion, and so that the various communities, especially minority communities, are assured that we will not allow their rights to be trampled underfoot.

1988 Judicial crisis

A one-sided public tribunal ratified the sacking of Tun Salleh, while a second tribunal removed two of the senior judges from office. Few Malaysians dared speak out, but Suffian, to whom many turned for an impartial opinion, did not hold back. He said

"Those who stand by and do nothing to protect the independence of the judiciary, will in the end get the judiciary they deserve - one powerless to stand between them and tyranny."

Suffian had a long association with the

Constitution of Malaysia The Federal Constitution of Malaysia (), which came into force in 1957 as the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya and was amended in 1963 to form the Constitution of Malaysia, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 art ...

, first with its drafting and then with its operation as a member of the Legal Department, and finally with its interpretation from 1961 when he was elevated to the bench of the Federal Court. He had served as the Pro-Chancellor of

Publications

* * *

Personal life

Suffian married, in 1946, Dora Evelina ("Bunny") Grange (d.1997), an English farmer's daughter whom he had met at Cambridge in 1939. He had no children of his own.

Death

He died on 26 September 2000 and was buried at the

Al-Ghufran Royal Mausoleum The Al-Ghufran Royal Mausoleum () is a Royal Mausoleum of Perak located near Ubudiah Mosque at Bukit Chandan in Jalan Istana, Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia. The first Sultan of Perak buried here was Sultan Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah I in 1916. ...

near Ubudiah Mosque in

Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

* : ** Companion of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

(JMN) (1961) * : ** Order_of_Loyalty_to_the_Crown_of_Malaysia_-_PSM

Commander of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on 15 April 1966 and gazetted on 30 June 1966 ...

(PSM) – Tan Sri (1967) ** Order_of_Loyalty_to_the_Crown_of_Malaysia_-_SSM

Grand Commander of the

(SSM) – Tun (1975) * : ** MY-PAH Order of the Crown of Pahang - Knight Companion - DIMP

Knight Companion of the

Order of the Crown of Pahang The Esteemed Order of the Crown of Pahang ( Malay: '' Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Pahang Yang Amat Mulia'') is a knighthood order of the Sultanate of Pahang. History The order was founded by Sultan Abu Bakar on 27 December 1968. It is awarded ...

(DIMP) – Dato' (1969) * : ** Grand Knight of the Order of Cura Si Manja Kini (SPCM) – Dato' Seri (1978)

Foreign honours

* : **

Third Class of the Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei (SMB; 23 September 1959)

Magsaysay Award

*In 1975, his outstanding record as a public servant won international recognition in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, where he received a Magsaysay Award, regarded as the Asian equivalent of the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

References

Bibliography

* An Introduction to the Constitution of Malaysia, Tun Mohamed Suffian Hashim, 1976.
"BIOGRAPHY of Mohamed Suffian Bin Hashim"
Retrieved 25 December 2006. {{Authority control 1917 births 2000 deaths Chief justices of Malaysia 20th-century Malaysian judges Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims People from Kuala Kangsar Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Members of the Middle Temple Companions of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Grand Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia