LETTER | Why deny the first CJ from East Malaysia the 'Tun' title?

LETTER | The Malaysia First group congratulates all the recipients of awards, honours and medals on the auspicious occasion of the birthday of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, including Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat who is awarded the title of “Tun”.

Malaysia First is however dumbfounded with the peculiar record that the immediate former chief justice Richard Malanjum (above) is now both the only former head of judiciary from East Malaysia and the only former head of judiciary who is not awarded the title “Tun”.

After the Scotland-born first lord president of Malaysia James Beveridge Thomson, the subsequent 13 lord presidents/chief justices before Richard Malanjum all hailed from West Malaysia. His successor Tengku Maimun also hailed from West Malaysia. All 15 heads of the Malaysian judiciary were made a "Tun" during their tenure. After the king’s birthday this year, Richard Malanjum stands out further as the only chief justice who has not been conferred the title “Tun” even after his retirement.

When Richard Malanjum was made chief justice in 2018, his appointment was groundbreaking as he was the first chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak (formerly chief justice of Borneo) promoted to lead the entire judiciary when many chief justices/judges of Malaya have made it to the top. In August 2017, Richard Malanjum was the senior-most judge of the Federal Court to fill the vacancy of the chief justice, but he was unjustly bypassed. 

Richard Malanjum’s elevation broke the perception that East Malaysians are never fit for the top jobs in the country, no matter how competent they are. More than a peak for a man’s career, it was a milestone for our nationhood, signalling to sons and daughters of Sabah (including Labuan) and Sarawak that their regional origin is not a disadvantage to their achievement in life. Though late by a year, his rightful promotion debunked the bitter suspicion held by some that Sabah and Sarawak were but colonies of Malaya, because a son of the colonised land would never be trusted to head the highest court in the land and guard her constitution and laws.

Despite the shortest tenure of all heads of the judiciary, only 276 Days, Richard Malanjum left behind long-lasting legacies. “[...] His vision for reforms saw the judiciary embrace technology, the empanelling of judges in the Federal Court via e-balloting, the practice of collective decision making amongst the four office-bearers of the judiciary and the promotion of transparency in the judicial appointment process by engaging and consulting with the three Bars of Malaysia,” as succinctly put by Sabah Law Society president Brenndon Keith Soh. 

The glaring exception of Richard Malanjum as the only ex-head of the judiciary without the title “Tun” raises the question again – are non-politician East Malaysians simply not qualified for the highest honour of the land even if they have performed excellently? Is this the message that Malaysia wants to send to the sons and daughters of Sabah and Sarawak in 2020? As the list of award recipients is recommended by the Prime Minister’s Office, is this what Muhyiddin Yassin meant by his pledge that “he would be the prime minister for all Malaysians from Perlis to Sabah?” 

Malaysia First is greatly saddened by the blatant sidelining of our brilliant former chief justice Richard Malanjum from being awarded the title of “Tun” just because he was the only chief justice who hailed from East Malaysia. We therefore launch an online petition pleading for the wisdom of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah to consider Richard Malanjum for his next list of recipients for the title of “Tun”. 

We hope Malaysians of all regional, ethnic, religious, linguistic, political, social-economic backgrounds will come forward and make known loud and clear their aspiration for a fair Malaysia, where an East Malaysian origin is not a source of impairment. We urge all political parties and civil society groups – especially those in Sabah and Sarawak – to amplify the voice of our era that sidelining a son or daughter of East Malaysia is no longer acceptable.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.