COMMENT | For many lawyers, becoming a judge is the pinnacle of a professional life - the culmination of years of study, advocacy, and sacrifice. It is the ultimate realisation of a dream.

Malaysia is a country governed by the rule of law. We have a written Federal Constitution, which stands as the supreme law of the land. As a parliamentary democracy, laws are made by Parliament and the state assemblies.

Our legal system draws from multiple sources - the Common Law of England, the personal laws of Muslims, native laws and customs of the Orang Asli and the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak, as well as the customs and usage of our diverse communities.

At the heart of this framework stand independent judges, whose task is to interpret and uphold the law.

They are the custodians of justice - the chosen ones on which the entire system of law and governance rests. Here we speak of the judges of the civil and criminal courts, and not of those serving in the syariah judiciary, which administers Muslim personal law.