The Malaysian Bar - Sultan Azlan Shah and Tuanku Bainun to grace fund-raising dinner

Home

News/Notices

News

Echoes of the Past

Sultan Azlan Shah and Tuanku Bainun to grace fund-raising dinner

Wednesday, 08 March 2006 10:42am

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 8: The Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah and Tuanku Bainun will grace the inaugural fund-raising dinner of the Tun Suffian Foundation to be held at the Shangri-la Hotel here on April 28, said Datuk K.C. Vohrah after chairing the meeting of the organising committee yesterday.

Vohrah said the proceeds of the fund-raising dinner will go towards the establishment of the Tun Suffian Chair on Constitutional Law at the University of Malaya, the Tun Suffian Research Centre at the Law Faculty of the University of Malaya and the Tun Suffian Scholarship. All donations to the Foundation are tax-exempted under s. 44(6) of the Income Tax Act 1967 Ref: LHDN.01/35/42/51/179-6.5352 vide Government Gazette: 5879 dated 8 May 2003. There are five categories of dinner tables: Diamond (RM50,000); Platinum (RM30,000); Gold (RM15,000); Silver (RM5,000) and Normal (RM1,500).

Vohrah said he hoped members of the Bar would donate generously to the Tun Suffian Foundation which has been established to honour the memory of a great friend of the Bar, a great scholar, a great jurist and a great son of our nation. For more information, please contact June Lee (03-20940999), Lynette Tan (03-20313003 ext 142) or Chandrika Bhaskaran (03-20313003 ext 192).

Tun Mohd Suffian passed away on September 26, 2000 at the home of his friends Dato’ Dr. Yaacob Merican and Tunku Dato’ Dr. Hjh. Sofiah Jewa. He was laid to rest the next day at the Kuala Kangsar Royal Mausoleum, Perak by decree of Sultan Azlan Shah, the Sultan of Perak.

At the reference organised by the Malaysian Bar in honour of the late Tun Suffian held at the University of Malaya on March 31, 2001, Federal Court Judge, Dato’ Siti Norma bt Yaakob (as she then was and is also now a member of the organising committee and Chief Judge of Malaya) had this to say:

We the Bench, Bar and friends alike, are gathered here today to pay our respect and reverence to one who is Malaysia’s foremost and outstanding jurist as well as every Malaysian’s best friend.

In expressing our sorrow at the departure of our beloved Tun, I can only express and echo the unstinting support and regard that all of us have for him.

I have known of Tun Suffian from my early days as a Cadet Legal Officer, but I got to know him better when I became his Chief Registrar during the last two years of his service as the Lord President of the Federal Court.

Tun Suffian touched my life, he touched my career and allow me to share with you some snippets of my memory of him

As the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court, the first person I had to report to, upon assuming that office, was Tun Suffian. With some trepidation, I had approached his chambers and upon seeing me and exchanging some pleasantries, he pointed me to a tray on his table containing a flask of hot water, a bottle of Nescafe, a jar of sugar, two cups and saucers and two spoons.

It is this knack of putting people at ease that had endeared Tun Suffian to those who have been fortunate enough to meet him. On one occasion he attended a function at this very same campus and at the reception following the formalities, he had approached a young undergraduate, extended his hand and said “I am Suff”.

His humble origins may well have accounted for his innate sense of humility and it is this trait in his character that made him so approachable.

As a Judge he was known for his patience and he took great delight in telling me of his experiences in handling long winded lawyers.

One such happening occurred when he was hearing arguments in a matter, which he maintained, was made contentious by Counsel from both sides. Between them, submissions dragged for a good two hours and at the end of which, Tun Suffian, reading from a prepared script delivered a judgment which was longer than what was expected of an extempore judgment, After the case, both Counsel came to see him in his Chambers, and not able to contain themselves, one of them asked how he could have arrived at such a prompt decision considering the length and complexity of the submissions. “That was easy “ he replied, “Whilst you were submitting I was busy writing the judgment”.

The other counsel then remarked in dismay. “And all the time we were thinking that you were taking down our submissions”. With a quick reply Tun asked, “Did I miss anything!” “No.” chorused both lawyers!

Tun Suffian was also noted for his wit and remarkable sense of humour and because of this, he was much sought after to speak at conferences both at home and abroad particularly as an after dinner speaker. I had a first taste of that wit at one of the dinner parties which he and Toh Puan loved to host at their home. The Suffians never entertained at posh hotels or restaurants if they could help it. They would rather settle for the cosy and intimate home cooked dinners in the company of 20 friends or so.

Their home I must say was tastefully done for which Toh Puan took pride in, the emphasis being one of simplicity and practicality rather than one of ostensible grandeur. Every piece of furniture had a little story to tell and at one dinner party the lady guests were admiring a large mirror hanging on the wall. Toh Puan then volunteered to say that she had purchased it cheap at a junk store in Malacca. She then turned to me and asked “Do you like it Siti?”

For one split moment I was lost for words and only managed to utter “Rather unusual Toh Puan”. Tun Suffian must have sensed my embarrassment for he said “You know all the furniture in this house are antiques and that includes Bunny and me.” He then chuckled in glee followed by his unmistakable guffaw.

Although the Suffians were childless, that did not prevent the Tun from taking great interest in the education and welfare of children of his friends and the problems posed by the youths of today. He was horrified by the number of appeal letters he received seeking donations for parties and dinners when he felt that such money could be put to good use in the purchase of books and other reading materials for the young. He was a great advocate for encouraging those around him to read and acquire knowledge and his bedroom was like a mini library as all the walls were lined with books!

It is not easy to describe Tun, the man. One had got to meet him to know the kind of person that he was. To those who were fortunate to have done so, will agree with me that his greatness lies not only in his personality as a renowned jurist of immense intellectual ability but also of the warm and father figure person that we had come to love and respect. He must know in his heart, that he has given his best to his family, to his friends, his calling and his country.

Perhaps, John Dryden’ s poem best encapsulate the moment: -

“Happy the man, and happy he alone,
He, who can call today his own;
He, who secure within, can say
Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.
Be fair, or foul, or rain, or shine,
The joys I have possessed, in spite of fate are mine.
Not heaven itself upon the past has power;
But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.”

Knowing him as I do, his parting advice to those learned in the law and whose function it is to dispense justice, must sound something like this.

Mourn not my demise
But in my memory
Dispense justice with a conscience
Where if we are wrong
We have the courage to change
And where we think, we are right
We find the humility
To lend an ear
For a fair hearing.

On that note, I thank you Ladies and Gentlemen for giving me a fair hearing.

HRH Sultan of Perak and family visiting Tun.