KUALA LUMPUR: Reginald Hugh Hickling who helped draft
Malaya’s Federal Constitution, died in Worcestershire, Britain on Feb 11.
The 86-year-old distinguished administrator, professor and author died after a
short illness.
He had also single-handedly crafted the Internal Security Act and had
taught law students in Malaysia, Singapore, Britain and Australia.
He celebrated his 86th birthday in Kuala Lumpur last August, commenting that
since he was feeling frail he was not sure whether he would be able to visit
Malaysia again.
Although in the past Hickling had questioned the application of the ISA, last
year he spoke about his change of mind over the issue following worldwide
terrorist attacks.
In 1989, he wrote, "I could not imagine then that the time would come when the
power of detention, carefully and deliberately interlocked with Article 149 of
the Constitution, would be used against political opponents, welfare workers and
others dedicated to non-violent, peaceful activities."
The law professor stressed in an interview last July that "organised violence"
was the key to the preamble of the ISA and that he had drafted it to detain
communist insurgents without trial, but in later years "a lot of people were
being arrested who had nothing to do with organised violence at all".
Born in Malvern, Worcestershire in 1920, Hickling qualified as a lawyer before
joining the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II.
After the war, he picked up his career again as a libel lawyer with the London
Evening Standard. In 1950, the Colonial Legal Service posted him to Sarawak as
Assistant Attorney-General.
As legal draftsman, Hickling later assisted Attorney-General Tom Brodie to draft
Malaya’s Constitution. And as the new nation’s Commissioner of Law Revision he
distilled the Emergency Regulations into the ISA.
He also published novels (including Crimson Sun Over Borneo) and short
stories and is survived by his wife Beryl, three children and twelve
grandchildren.
Former High Court judge Datuk Seri Dr Visu Sinnadurai described Hickling as "a
great and delightful person."
He recalled when he and Hickling were colleagues in the Faculty of Law at
University of Malaya, how even though he was the dean and Hickling a professor,
Hickling would give him guidance and advice when he needed it.
"He was a great scholar, a popular teacher and a good friend... a man with a
wealth of information which he readily shared. We have lost a good friend. He
was truly a legend. He was also a man of great humility," he said.
Lawyer Philip T.N. Koh, described him as a loyal statesman and a lawyer with
exemplary practical wisdom and good sense.
"Those of us who lived under his humble legacy learnt to care for what is most
valuable in our common lives," he said.
Passing of a Great Man written by Nicole Tan Lee Koon,
Wednesday, February 28 2007 11:36 am
Dear all,
I had the great pleasure of meeting Prof. Hickling in 2001 when he came to University of Malaya as a guest lecturer. In fact, my professor arranged for a dinner with him which I also attended together with my coursemates. Prof. Hickling reminisced spiritly about his illustrious past over a few bubbly beverages. It was a sublime experience. May he rest in peace....
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Talk on Intellectual Property Law (10 Feb 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, the talk on “Intellectual Property Law” will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 10 Feb 2012 (Friday). The talk will feature Bahari Yeow Tien Hong. Click on the link above for more details.
The Case of the Missing Penang Lawyer: Charity Treasure Hunt 2012 (12 Feb 2012) Organised by the Penang Bar Committee Social Subcommittee in aid of the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM), this event will take place at Straits Quay, Penang, on 12 Feb 2012 (Sunday). Deadline for registration is 6 Feb 2012 (Monday). Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on the Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Proceedings (21 Feb 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, the seminar on “The Fundamentals of Bankruptcy Proceedings”, featuring Sanjeev Kumar Rasiah, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 21 Feb 2012 (Tuesday). Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on the Fundamentals of Conveyancing (24 Feb 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar featuring Jeremiah R Gurusamy will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 24 Feb 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Mediation Skills Training Course (29 Feb to 4 Mar 2012) Organised by Bar Council, the Mediation Skills Training Course will take place at 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, at Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 29 Feb to 4 Mar 2012 (Wednesday to Sunday). Deadline for registration and payment is 17 Feb 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on “Land Fraud: An Australian Perspective” (13 Mar 2012) Organised by IGIL, GSGSG and UUM COLGIS, this free talk featuring Quintin George Rozario of Delta Law, Brisbane, Australia, will take place at 9:00 am, at Dewan Seminar A, Pusat Konvensyen, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, on 13 Mar 2012 (Tuesday). To RSVP, contact Mr Abutt (04-928 4397; abutt@uum.edu.my).
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Circular No 019/2012: Change of Address for Pejabat Pengarah Tanah dan Galian Wilayah Persekutuan
Dear all,
I had the great pleasure of meeting Prof. Hickling in 2001 when he came to University of Malaya as a guest lecturer. In fact, my professor arranged for a dinner with him which I also attended together with my coursemates. Prof. Hickling reminisced spiritly about his illustrious past over a few bubbly beverages. It was a sublime experience. May he rest in peace....