CHIEF Justice Tan Sri Zaki Azmi has pledged to ensure speedier justice and clearing of the staggering backlog of court cases.

Zaki’s pledge to ensure speedy delivery of justice is most assuring and deserves public support. As the saying goes, “justice delayed is justice denied”.

In this regard, the chief justice faces an immense task in addressing various issues, such as improving the delivery system of the judiciary, tackling bureaucracy in the courts, overcoming the shortage of judges and minimising the postponement of cases, etc.

To overcome these and other challenges, the chief justice needs the support of all relevant parties such as the government, the Bar Council, the Attorney-Generals Chambers and the judicial and legal fraternity.

Zaki’s decision to give up a more lucrative private sector career and accept a judicial appointment to improve the judiciary is a noble decision which must be given due recognition.

His assumption of the highest judicial office in the land comes at a crucial time when much needs to be done to restore public confidence in the integrity and independence of the judiciary.

The chief justice’s greatest challenge will be to improve the image and public perception of the judiciary.

Judging by his comments to news agency Bernama, Zaki has undoubtedly shown his desire and commitment to improve the judiciary.

In all fairness, it has to be stated that efforts to improve the image of the judiciary began during Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad’s tenure as the former chief justice.

The negative perception of the state of our judiciary, rightly or wrongly it may be, cannot and must not be ignored. We must not brush it aside but, on the contrary, do our utmost to reverse the trend of negative thinking and public perception about it.

In Zaki, we place our hopes that he will leave no stones unturned in his endeavours to improve the judiciary.

Whatever happened in the past that jeopardised the image of our judiciary, including a handful of judges who were tainted with corruption, let us put the ignominious chapter behind us.

Let us start with a new chapter to restore the glory of the judiciary for the sake of our nation. Let us give the newly-appointed chief justice a chance to bring change, measure up to his qualities and prove his critics wrong.

TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE, Kuala Lumpur

Source: NST – November 11, 2008