'Not an issue,' Tengku Maimun says on ending tenure without extension

Summary

• Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat finds no issue with her tenure ending without extension.

• She says she has no regrets and emphasises her good health throughout her service.

• She also expresses hope that her successor and fellow judges will continue the legacy of restoring public confidence in the judiciary.

Outgoing Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said it is not an issue if her tenure is not extended.

On her final day in office, she said she has no regrets over her six-year service as the chief justice.

“What I can say is that I have served for six years, from May 2, 2019, to July 1, 2025… in good health, and I feel that in itself is a blessing.

“There are no regrets, as I have completed my term of service. The fact that I am not extended for another six months is not an issue. Absolutely not an issue.

"Six months is not that significant compared to six years,” Kosmo quoted her as saying at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya today.

She also expressed hopes that her successor - and all other judges - would continue the legacy of restoring public confidence in the judiciary.

Tengku Maimun will enter her mandatory retirement upon her 66th birthday tomorrow unless her term is extended by six months, as allowed by the Federal Constitution and pushed for by various quarters.

Judicial vacancies

Earlier today, DAP declared its support for an extension of Tengku Maimun's service, while the Bar Council called for an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss judicial vacancies.

However, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim yesterday slammed alleged attempts to lobby the government into extending Tengku Maimun’s tenure.

He called the move an attempt to politicise the judiciary, insisting that it should not happen with such an independent institution.

Apart from Tengku Maimun, Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim is also set to retire tomorrow.

The coming months will see the retirement of other senior judicial figures, including Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abdul Rahman Sebli, and Federal Court judges Nallini Pathmanathan, Zabariah Yusof, and Hanipah Farikullah.

The tenures of Abdul Rahman, Zabariah, and Hanipah have already been extended by six months.

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