PUTRAJAYA: One of her main challenges is to manage the public’s perception of the judiciary, newly appointed Chief Justice Datuk Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said today.
She said the public tends to judge the judicial institution through social media reports, which often creates different perceptions of ongoing cases.
“It’s not often based on facts and just based on perceptions,” she said at a press conference at the Palace of Justice here.
“The public can now report on social media without in-depth knowledge of the field of justice and it gets viralled. Therefore, members of the mainstream media should help me accurately report a case and help change the perception of society.”
Commenting on the handling of recent high-profile including the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial and the Wang Kelian Royal Comission of Inquiry, she said all cases are treated equally.
“The fact is that people are the ones who decide if a trial is a big case or not,“ she said. “However, from a court point of view, all cases are the same and it should be treated and managed with balance.”
Maimun also said she would nurture discipline among newly appointed judges.
“For new appointments, we have induction courses. Our aim will be to expose them to the various job scope and instil in them the need to be efficient and hardworking,” she added.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, presented the instrument of appointment to Tengku Maimun at Istana Negara earlier today.
Tengku Maimun, a former Federal Court judge and the first woman to be made the chief justice, subsequently took the oath of office.
Her appointment is effective May 2. She takes over from Tan Sri Richard Malanjum who retired on April 12.
