MALAYSIA’S first female chief justice said being the top judge is a great responsibility whether one is a man or a woman.

Newly-minted Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said any pressure she may feel is not due to the fact that she is a woman, but that she is holding the post.

“The pressure will come from holding the post because it is a very big responsibility.

“It doesn’t matter if a man or woman is holding the post but the responsibilities have to be carried out diligently,” she said in the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya today.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Sha today presented the instrument of office to Tengku Maimun, a former federal court judge, in Istana Negara today.

Her appointment is effective May 2. She takes over from Richard Malanjum, who retired on April 12.

As for her plans for the judiciary, she said it would be premature for her to talk about reform when she had just been sworn in.

“It is still too early to state my plans for the judiciary. 

“I will continue the reforms that former chief justice Richard Malajum mooted.

“I will be consulting with three other judges on the reforms and we will have a collective say in them.” 

Meanwhile, Tengku Maimun said the courts have been clearing their cases on time. 

“We have managed to dispose of 90% of the cases.” – May 6, 2019.