Steve Shim on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Steve Shim Lip Kiong (; born 20 January 1940) is a Malaysian lawyer and
Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (1988)
** 
Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service (PJN) - Datuk (1999)
** 
Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) - Tan Sri (2001)
* :
** 
Meritorious Service Medal-Silver (PPB)
** Companion of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (JBK)
** Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DA) - Datuk Amar (2003)
judge
A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...
who served as the third Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak.
Early life and education
Shim was born inKuching
Kuching ( , ), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak Ri ...
in the then-British protectorate
British protectorates were protectorates under the jurisdiction of the British government. Many territories which became British protectorates already had local rulers with whom the Crown negotiated through treaty, acknowledging their status wh ...
state of Raj of Sarawak
The Raj of Sarawak, Kingdom of Sarawak or State of Sarawak, was a kingdom founded in 1841 in northwestern Borneo and was in a Protectorate, treaty of protection with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom from 1888. It ...
. He completed his A Level
The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
studies in Westminster College, London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
in 1962 before receiving his barrister-at-law from the Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...
in 1969. In 1980, Shim graduated from the Faculty of International and Comparative Law at Vrije Universiteit Brussel
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Dutch language, Dutch, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated VUB) is a Dutch- and English-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has four campuses: Brussels Humanities, Science and Engine ...
, Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
with a Master of Laws
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject.
In many jurisdi ...
(Honours) (LL.M. (Hons.)).
Career
1970 & 1980s
Shim's career in the legal service began on 10 August 1970 when he became a cadet legal officer. By 1977, he was made a registrar at the High Court of Borneo. In between, Shim had also served as a crown counsel andmagistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...
. His career then progressed further when he was appointed as a sessions courts judge in 1989.
1990 & 2000s
On 1 March 1992, Shim was appointed as a judicial commissioner at the High Court inSibu
Sibu is a landlocked city located in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It serves as the capital of Sibu District within Sibu Division and is situated on the island of Borneo. Covering an area of , the city is positioned at the conf ...
. He served in that capacity for just five months before being promoted as judge of the same High Court in August 1992. As a High Court judge, Shim took postings in Kuching and later Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
, the capital city of 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 ...
, beginning 1996.
Having served as a High Court judge for almost eight years, Shim was chosen to take over duties as acting Chief Judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak in July 2000. He officially ascended to the fourth highest judicial office in Malaysia, after the Chief Justice of Malaysia, President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia
The President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (Malay: ''Presiden Mahkamah Rayuan''), is the office and title of the deputy head of the Malaysian judiciary system. The title has been in use since 24 June 1994, when the Court of Appeal of Mal ...
and Chief Judge of Malaya, in September 2000.
Shim retired from the legal service on 19 July 2006.
2010s
In 2011, Shim was selected to chair the newly-created National Wage Consultative Council placed under the Ministry of Human Resources of Malaysia. Following the loss of Mohammad Najib Abdul Razak and hisBarisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional (BN; ) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1974 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties to succeed the Alliance Party. It is the third largest political coalition with 30 seats in ...
(BN) coalition in the 14th Malaysian general election, Shim was selected to chair a special tribunal formed in 17 October 2018 to probe and seek the removal of six members of the Election Commission of Malaysia
The Election Commission of Malaysia (; Jawi: ), abbreviated SPR or EC, is a commission set up for ensuring fair and equitable operations in undertaking the elections in Malaysia. The agency falls under the purview of the Prime Minister's Depa ...
(SPR) after thirteen charges were framed against the latter. In May 2019, Shim deemed the matter academic and announced that the tribunal has decided to no longer proceed its probe after the personnel in question all opted for early resignation. This decision earned him a rebuke from the Attorney General of Malaysia
The Attorney General of Malaysia ( also referred to as the AG; Jawi: ) is the principal legal adviser of Malaysia. The Attorney General is also the highest ranking public prosecutor in the country and is also known as the Public Prosecutor, or ...
, Tommy Thomas.
Honours
* : ** Officer of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (KMN) (1988)
** Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service (PJN) - Datuk (1999)
** Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) - Tan Sri (2001)
* :
** Meritorious Service Medal-Silver (PPB)
** Companion of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (JBK)
** Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DA) - Datuk Amar (2003)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shim, Steve Lip Kiong Living people 1940 births Malaysian people of Hakka descent People from Kuching 20th-century Malaysian judges 21st-century Malaysian judges Malaysian people of Chinese descent Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak Officers of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Commanders of the Order of Meritorious Service Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Vrije Universiteit Brussel alumni Members of the Inner Temple