PUTRAJAYA, Nov 14 — Malaysia needs more women to be judges, Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim said today on her last day of office as she retires tomorrow upon reaching the mandatory age of 66 years and six months.
Hasnah, who is the third-highest ranked judge in Malaysia, said women judges are “definitely” making a difference in Malaysia.
“Definitely. Definitely. You need to have women in the judiciary. And we are much better than the UK in terms of diversity. We have so many women, but we still need more women,” she told reporters when met at her chambers here.
Hasnah was asked about her once quoting Baroness Hale — the UK’s first female top judge, as former president of the Supreme Court — as agreeing that sometimes women judges “too may make a difference”.
Hasnah had quoted this in her article in the Malaysian judiciary’s 2014 yearbook, and was asked today if she thinks women judges are making a difference in Malaysia.
Hasnah said it has never been easier for female judges: “We have never been treated special or different from the male judges. We are judged by our performance.”
“You just have to work hard, and you know, be honest. Integrity is important,” she said, adding that women must have confidence and need to have a voice and not be afraid to say what they feel.
A 2019 newspaper cutting with the headline ‘Justice League Makes History’ hangs in Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim’s office, which was when she and two other women judges were promoted to be Federal Court judges and when Tan Sri Rohana Yusuf became the first woman to be the President of the Court of Appeal. — Picture by Raymond Manuel
Honoured to be third female CJM
Previously, Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob and Tan Sri Zaharah Ibrahim were the first two women to be Chief Judge of Malaya, in 2005 and in 2018.
Hasnah, who was appointed about one year ago on November 12 as the third woman CJM said, “I feel that I am in good company. Imagine being with Tan Sri Siti Norma and Tan Sri Zaharah. But I don’t think I have come to their level.”
Describing the two others as being remarkable women, Hasnah said she felt “honoured and privileged” to hold the same post as they once did.
Hasnah said she had never imagined she would be a judge in the Federal Court or even the Court of Appeal, and she had never aspired and “never in a million years” thought she would one day be CJM.
Hasnah, who graduated in 1983 from Universiti Malaya, said she had actually wanted to go into advertising, but her grandfather said no to this.
She then went with the flow and took up law, and said she enjoyed law and is very “passionate about it”.
Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim is seen here in the office she never thought she would one day occupy just like other ‘luminaries’ in the judiciary. — Picture by Raymond Manuel
Plans after retirement
As she turns 66 years and six months old tomorrow, Hasnah marks the close of her 42-year law-related career serving the country — including six years as Sessions Court judge; about one year as the Federal Court’s Chief Registrar; and the last 15 years and six months as a judge in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court.
Hasnah said she has a mixed feeling on her last day at work as she is very close to the court staff and she has been working in the Palace of Justice since its doors opened in 2003: “So very sad, but also happy and relieved to move on to my next chapter of my life.”
But Hasnah said she is not one to just sit still after retiring, and hopes to still be able to “indirectly still contribute to the judiciary” such as by training judges.
Hasnah, who was formerly chairman of the Judicial Academy’s Judicial Training Committee, said she was open to still being part of the Judicial Academy if given the opportunity: “I love to teach, teach judges and officers as well.”
Hasnah said she has achieved a lot in the past year as CJM and hopes her successor would continue the work and improve for the judiciary.
She said she is “proud” of all the High Court judges she had helped manage as CJM: “So I think I would say my proudest achievement would be being able to train the judges and they apply what we have trained.”
Court personnel greet Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim as the Chief Judge of Malaya for the last time, with some greeting or even giving her a farewell hug. — Picture by Raymond Manuel
Advice for the younger generation
Asked for advice for future judges and young lawyers, Hasnah said her advice has always been to work hard.
“I would tell them there are many downs before you can go up, and there are many challenges,” she said, adding that she tells the younger generation that they “cannot be successful overnight”.
“And the other thing, you have to work very hard. There’s no shortcut. You have to work very hard. That has been my mantra,” she said.
“Of course, you know, when you are down, you pick up yourself and you just have to stand up again and rise to the challenge.”
Asked if judges should be given a longer time to write their judgments instead of eight weeks due to the volume of cases they handled, Hasnah said she felt eight weeks is “doable” and “manageable”.
For those who find the eight-week timeline to write judgments unmanageable, she suggested adjusting their lifestyle or the way they do their work.
“And when you talk about volume of cases, if you were with us in 2009, the number was actually quite staggering. And we managed, we managed to clear our grounds of judgement within the eight weeks and we managed to dispose nearly 90 per cent of our cases,” she said.
She also shared her advice on preparing written decisions: “I always tell my judges to enjoy life because some of them feel so overwhelmed and the numbers will always be there. But you must be able to manage your life, whether it’s at home, family, but also your career. Once you know how to manage and how you balance them, you will be fine.”
She said work is not something done round the clock, and there is a need to ensure judges’ mental wellbeing as well and to balance their life just like other professions.
Court personnel say farewell to Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim in a send-off ceremony at the Palace of Justice’s lobby. — Picture by Raymond Manuel
The importance of destressing
As for how she unwinds, Hasnah said she has been able to enjoy life even throughout her years working as a judge: “I love music, I love dancing, I love to read, I love to watch romantic comedies. You know, that’s how I unwind myself.”
“I enjoy TIkTok, not for the drama, but for you know, the dancing, the baking. I love to cook,” she said, adding that she also told judges that she managed that it is “okay” for them to unwind too.
Hasnah said she likes pasta, such as miso-based pasta, gochujang pasta and an alcohol-free version of a pasta recipe popularised by American model Gigi Hadid.
But as she is married to a Negeri Sembilan man, Hasnah said she also knows how to cook “masak lemak cili api” and “sambal tempoyak daun kayu”, which are dishes from that state.
“Because even if you are a career woman, you need to take care of your family. You need to cook for your husband and for your children. And then when you cook, it actually relaxes you. When you bake, maybe it doesn’t turn out okay, but you know, it’s okay, it’s fine. Try again.”
She said she advises judges to also have that outlet to unwind, including whether it is running or playing golf or games, as they would be calm and relaxed when they go back to work and to read their files.
At around 4.10pm, Hasnah arrived at the court lobby, where court personnel lined up to bid farewell in a simple send-off ceremony. She left the Palace of Justice at around 4.23pm.
Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed waves farewell as she leaves the Palace of Justice on her last day of work, as she will turn 66 years and six months old tomorrow. — Picture by Raymond Manuel
