Tun Syed Sheh Al-Haj bin Syed Hassan Barakbah (10 November 1906 – 8 October 1975) was a prominent Malaysian judge. He was the second Lord President of the Federal Court, and the first Malaysian to hold that office. After his career in the judiciary, he briefly served as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

of the Dewan Negara and later

Yang di-Pertua Negeri In Malaysia, the Yang di-Pertua Negeri ( in Malay) is a constitutional title given to the head of state in states without a Ruler, namely: Penang, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak. This is in constrast to a Ruler () which is a constitutional title giv ...

(Governor) of

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Ma ...

Early life and education

Born in Alor Star, Kedah, Syed Sheh is of Hadhrami- Malay descent; his Arab ancestors had migrated from

Hadhramaut Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern S ...

and settled in

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainla ...

for several generations. Being of the Barakbah clan, he is related to

Sharifah Rodziah Syed Alwi Barakbah Tun Sharifah Rodziah binti Syed Alwi Barakbah ( ms, شريفة راضية بنت سيد علوي برقبة, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 1920 – 12 March 2000) was the third wife of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, the founding fat ...

, the third wife of the first

Prime Minister of Malaysia The prime minister of Malaysia ( ms, Perdana Menteri Malaysia; ms, ڤردان منتري مليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the fede ...

Tunku Abdul Rahman Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah ( ms, ‏تونكو عبد الرحمن ڤوترا الحاج ابن سلطان عبد الحميد حليم شاه, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 8 Febru ...

. Syed received his education at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College before continuing his studies in England sponsored by the

State Government's scholarship. He was accepted to read law at 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 associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and W ...

and graduated in 1934 with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of ...

(LLB) degree.

Career

Syed Sheh began his career in the judiciary as a special magistrate in the

Colonial Legal Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...

in 1946. After independence, he served as a judge on the Court of Appeal and in 1963, was appointed Chief Justice of Malaya. In 1968, Syed Sheh succeeded Tun Sir James Thomson as Lord President of the Federal Court, then the highest office in the Malaysian judiciary. He was the first Malaysian to serve in that capacity. After retiring as Lord President, Syed Sheh was appointed as a Senator in the Dewan Negara, the upper house of the

Parliament of Malaysia The Parliament of Malaysia ( ms, Parlimen Malaysia) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, lit. "People's Assembly") and the D ...

. He became President of the Dewan Negara in 1969, serving for little over a week until early February. He retired from the Senate later that month and was appointed the third

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the state of

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The o ...

Tuanku Ismail Nasiruddin. He served two terms (four years, then two years) until February 1975. In becoming Lord President, President of the Dewan Negara and Governor of Penang, Syed Sheh has served in senior positions in the Malaysian executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.

Death

Tun Syed Sheh died on 8 October 1975, in Alor Star, Kedah.

Legacy

The Esplanade Road in

George Town, Penang ) , short_description = Capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang , image_map = , map_caption = Location of George Town in Penang , pushpin_map = Penang#Malaysia#Asia#Earth , pushpin_maps ...

was renamed as

Jalan Tun Syed Sheikh Barakbah ''Jalan'' ( ur, , lit=Jealousy) is a Pakistani television series premiered on ARY Digital on 17 June 2020. It is directed by Aabis Raza and produced by Fahad Mustafa and Dr. Ali Kazmi under Big Bang Entertainment. It stars Minal Khan, Aree ...

Honours

Honours of Penang

As 3rd

Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang The governor of Penang ( ms, Yang di-Pertua Negeri Pulau Pinang) is the head of state of the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. The role of governor is largely ceremonial with the power vested in the executi ...

( – ) * : ** MY-PEN Order of the Defender of State - Knight Grand Commander - DUPN

Knight Grand Commander (DUPN) with title ''Dato' Seri Utama'' ** MY-PEN Order of the Defender of State - Knight Grand Commander - DUPN

Grand Master of the Order of the Defender of State

Honours of Malaysia

* : ** Commander of the

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

(PMN) – Tan Sri (1964) **

Grand Commander of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted o ...

(SSM) – Tun (1968) ** Grand Commander of the

(SMN) – Tun (1970) * : ** Knight Grand Commander of the Exalted Order of the Crown of Kedah (SPMK) – Dato' Seri (1969)

Foreign honours

* : **

Fourth Class of the Most Blessed Order of Setia Negara Brunei (PSB)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barakbah, Syed Sheh Hassan Malaysian people of Yemeni descent Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang 1906 births 1975 deaths Members of the Dewan Negara Chief justices of Malaysia Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims People from Kedah Hadhrami people Presidents of the Dewan Negara 20th-century Malaysian judges Members of the Inner Temple Grand Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Grand Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Colonial Legal Service officers