Tun Arifin Zakaria gave top priority to restoring public confidence in the judiciary when he became the 13th Chief Justice in 2011. Due to retire at the end of the month, it remains his top concern.
In an interview at his office here, he recalled being deeply affected by the constitutional crisis of 1988 which ended with the removal of Tun Salleh Abas as Lord President.
"People say that public confidence in the judiciary was at its lowest after that, and there are those who insist it is still low," Arifin said.
"But I think that things have changed for the better over the years under my predecessors," he said, giving special mention to Tun Zaki Azmi and Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah.
"Still, I want to bring the judiciary to a higher level to restore public confidence fully."
The post of Lord President was abolished in 1994. The Chief Justice is now the country's top judge.
Arifin believes that an independent judiciary is essential for democracy, and that public confidence is necessary for the justice system to work.
"As judges it is for us to dispense justice the best we can, and as the Chief Justice, my main intention is to bring back the confidence of the public in the judiciary," he said.
Arifin dismissed allegations that public confidence in the judiciary was very low.
"People keep coming to court to resolve disputes ... those who criticise the court as unfair, unjust, biased .. are the very people who come to court," he said.
"The opposition bring a lot of cases to court against the government. If they have no confidence in the judiciary, I am sure they would not come to court," Arifin said.
Arifin joined the civil service as a legal officer in the Prime Minister's Department 42 years ago before becoming a magistrate in 1976.
He was the Perak state legal adviser in 1988 and went on to become judicial commissioner in 1992 and high court judge in 1994. He was made Court of Appeal judge in 2002, a Federal Court judge in 2005 and Chief Judge of Malaya in 2008.
Asked about fond memories he had of his career, Arifin, who will be 67 in October, said simply: "I love hearing cases and writing judgments".
"When I write a judgment, I put my whole soul in it. When you have heard a case, especially a complex one, and you come up with a judgment that you think is the best you have written, you really feel satisfied.
"The best thing is when you truly believe that you have done justice to a case," he said.
Arifin, who is from Kelantan, chuckled when asked to describe himself. "I am quite open to the media and the public and quite accessible to them," he said.
"This is because it is important for us (judges) to engage the public through the media so that we can explain what the judiciary is about and what our functions are. Also, I have nothing to hide."
One achievement that Arifin is proud of is the clearing of a backlog of 12,000 cases in the Court of Appeal to 3,000 within two years.
"Now, they deal only with current cases," he said.
The Chief Justice also introduced a new rule of court for the lower and high courts which combined and simplified their two separate rules and streamlined procedures.
Arifin also introduced many specialised courts, including those dealing with commercial, corruption and cyber cases.
He was also active at the international level, especially in matters affecting ASEAN countries.
He is in the ASEAN Law Association and Council of ASEAN Chief Justices which deal with such issues as common practices and enforcement of orders.
"For example, we try to streamline our orders in the Asean countries so that court orders in Malaysia can be enforced in Thailand or Laos. In Singapore and Brunei we can because of our shared Commonwealth background," Arifin said.
On his plans after leaving office, Arifin, who loves reading, playing golf and gardening, said he would go for a holiday with his family before deciding.
"If my health permits, I will continue to serve the country in whatever capacity that is available and, of course, my interest is always in the law," said Arifin.
Asked who will take over from him, Arifin said: "Whoever is selected, he is sure to be a fit and proper person to be my successor and he will have my full confidence." -- Bernama
Bernama
Sun Mar 12 2017
Arifin (pix) believes that an independent judiciary is essential for democracy, and that public confidence is necessary for the justice system to work. - Filepic
Gitar John Lennon dilelong RM3.81 juta
Sebuah gitar akustik yang lama hilang milik anggota The Beatles, John Lennon ditemui semula dan akan dipamerkan serta dilelong di New York City.
Pengusaha stesen minyak berdepan ugutan diminta buat laporan polis - Saifuddin
Pengusaha stesen minyak yang menjadi mangsa ugutan sindiket penyeludupan bahan api bersubsidi digesa membuat laporan polis.
Liga Parlimen Al-Quds: Malaysia kongsi pengalaman perjuang nasib rakyat Palestin - Syed Ibrahim
Delegasi negara berkongsikan pengalaman Malaysia sebagai usaha berterusan mempertahankan nasib Palestin dalam Persidangan Liga Parlimen Al-Quds di Istanbul, Turki pada Sabtu.
Akta Laut Wilayah masih sah, terpakai termasuk di Terengganu - PMO
Akta Laut Wilayah 2012 (Akta 750) masih sah dan terpakai di seluruh Malaysia termasuk di Terengganu, walaupun Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Terengganu membuat keputusan menolak pemakaiannya.
Yakeb sasar 1,000 bekas atlet baharu tahun ini
Yakeb menyasarkan seramai 1,000 bekas atlet dapat berdaftar di bawah yayasan itu sepanjang tahun ini. Yayasan Kebajikan Atlet K
Pulau Pinang mahu perbanyak kedai makan mesra muslim
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang berhasrat memperbanyakkan kemudahan terutama kedai makan mesra Muslim bagi memperkasakan lagi industri pelancongan di negeri ini.
Tiga firma semikonduktor mahu labur AS$100 juta di Pulau Pinang - Chow
Syarikat berkenaan adalah China Wafer Level CSP Co (WLCSP), Ningbo SJ Electronics Co (SJE) dan Wuxi AMTE Inc (AMTE).
Johor pastikan masalah bekalan air ketika perayaan tidak berulang
Kerajaan negeri akan berusaha memastikan sifar masalah bekalan air pada hari raya tahun hadapan dengan beberapa langkah telah diambil.
41 kes kebakaran terbuka di Gua Musang sejak Februari - Bomba
Aktiviti pembakaran terutamanya di kebun, ladang dan hutan perlu dielakkan ketika musim panas ini.
Runtuhan bangunan di Gaza akan ambil masa 14 tahun untuk dialihkan - Pegawai PBB
Serangan Israel telah meninggalkan runtuhan yang dianggarkan seberat 37 juta tan dalam satu wilayah yang padat dengan penduduk.
PNB umum dividen ASB 4.25 sen, bonus 0.75 sen
PNB mengumumkan pembayaran pengagihan pendapatan ASB 4.25 sen seunit dan bonus 0.75 sen seunit bagi tahun kewangan berakhir 31 Disember 2021.
Khalid dakwa Takiyuddin cuba takutkan rakyat
Khalid Samad mendakwa kenyataan yang dikeluarkan Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan seolah-olah cuba mendiamkan bantahan orang ramai terhadap proklamasi darurat.
Tun Arifin janji laksana tanggungjawab sebaik mungkin
Pelantikan Arifin dan 18 individu lagi diperkenankan oleh Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
RCI Wang Kelian: Empat saksi dijangka beri keterangan hari ini
Inspektor Mohamad Afiq Sarmid menjadi saksi pertama daripada empat orang saksi yang dijangka tampil memberi keterangan.
RCI Wang Kelian memasuki hari kelima
Prosiding berlangsung di Dewan Gemilang, Kementerian Dalam Negeri yang diubah suai menjadi mahkamah.
RCI Wang Kelian: 'Kenapa klasifikasi sebagai Kertas Enkuiri Polis?'
Isu tersebut berbangkit ketika sesi pendengaran awam saksi ke-12, Superintendan Rizani Che Ismail yang pada kejadian itu, beliau merupakan Ketua Polis Daerah (KPD) Padang Besar.
RCI Wang Kelian memasuki hari kedua
Hari kedua sesi pendengaran awam RCI mengenai penemuan kem penempatan sementara dan kubur di Wang Kelian menampilkan tiga lagi saksi.
RCI Wang Kelian: Lapan terma rujukan jadi teras - Arifin Zakaria
Arifin berkata pihaknya akan meneliti semua dokumen dan bukti serta menyiasat berkaitan dengan kes tersebut.
Peguam Negara: Tidak perlu asingkan perundangan dan kehakiman
Bagi Peguam Negara Tan Sri Apandi Ali, tujuan utama di sebalik pengekalan bahagian perundangan dan kehakiman dalam satu khidmat yang sama adalah bagi memastikan pegawainya serba boleh.
Tiga penerima anugerah 'Tun' tahun ini
Ketiga-tiga tokoh itu mendahului senarai penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 2017 bersempena Hari Keputeraan Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V.