WOMEN JUDGES ASSESSED ON MERIT, NOT GENDER, SAYS OUTGOING CHIEF JUDGE OF MALAYA 

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 14 (Bernama) — In a powerful affirmation of gender equality in the judiciary, Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim stated that women judges are assessed purely on performance and have never received differential or preferential treatment compared to men.

The Chief Judge of Malaya made it clear that the path is not easier, maintaining that the role demands hard work, honesty and integrity above all. “It is just that women must have confidence,” she asserted.

She celebrated their significant impact while issuing a clear call for more women on the bench.

Reflecting on her historic role as the country's third female Chief Judge of Malaya, Hasnah, 66, expressed her profound privilege in standing alongside the pioneering legacy of her predecessors, Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob and Tan Sri Zaharah Ibrahim.

“I feel I am in good company. Tan Sri Norma and Tan Sri Zaharah are remarkable women. I don’t think I’ve come to their level, but I’m honoured and privileged to stand alongside such exceptional figures in the judiciary,” she said. 

Speaking to reporters on her last day of work at her chambers in the Palace of Justice, Hasnah said she never aspired to become the Chief Judge of Malaya, noting that her focus had always been on doing the work.

She shared that, in her younger days, she had actually wanted to pursue advertising but eventually studied law.

“I enjoyed it and I’m very passionate about it now. I never thought that one day I would occupy this room (the Chief Judge of Malaya's office). Never in a million years. So I’m truly honoured and privileged,” she said.

Addressing a media query, Hasnah confirmed there are no plans to extend the eight-week deadline for judges to prepare their grounds of judgment, stating the current timeframe is manageable.

“We managed to clear our grounds of judgment within eight weeks, and we managed to dispose of nearly 90 percent of our cases,” she said.

— BERNAMA