TUN MOHAMED DZAIDDIN'S DEATH A GREAT LOSS TO NATION, JUDICIARY

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Bernama) -- The passing of former Chief Justice Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah is a great loss to the nation, especially to the judiciary and legal profession, said legal practitioners.

Former Chief Justice Tun Md Raus Sharif, 73, said Mohamed Dzaiddin was not only known among their colleagues as a very kind and patient person, but also as someone very meticulous, especially when delivering his judgments.

“If we read legal journals, some of his rulings still serve as precedents today,” he said when met after the burial of Mohamed Dzaiddin at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery here.

In their younger years, Md Raus said they often met at the Kota Bahru Court when Mohamed Dzaiddin was still a lawyer and had a law firm there.

“Then, he became a judge and I used to appear before him as the deputy public prosecutor (DPP) and senior federal counsel. When I became a judge, he was already a Federal Court judge, and subsequently the Chief Justice.

“I learned a lot from him and have been keeping in touch after his retirement and when I was the Chief Justice,” he said.

Sharing a mutual interest in golf, Md Raus said they often spent time playing golf at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC), and the last time he met Mohamed Dzaiddin was three months ago.

“When I visited him at his home, I held his hand and said my name, and I saw tears in his eyes because he recognised me even though he could not speak,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shah Alam High Court Judge Datuk Seri Mohd Firuz Jaffril, 55, who is also Mohamed  Dzaiddin’s nephew, said that his uncle was a strict, highly disciplined person and very punctual.

“When I was a child, he was already a judge. At that time, I never thought of following his footsteps because after seeing his strict and disciplined way, I knew it was hard to follow,” he said.

Former Federal Court judge Tan Sri Abu Samah Nordin, 73, said the Mohamed Dzaiddin was very considerate in making decisions and was friendly with all the judges who worked with him, including junior judges.

“I was a DPP when he was a judge, and that was when I knew he was very considerate when making decisions,” he said.

Meanwhile, former Perak Police Chief Datuk Seri Noordin Omar, 67, said Mohamed Dzaiddin should be an example for the current generation, especially for his contributions to the nation, particularly in the judiciary and policing fields, which are crucial to national security.

“He also served as a police officer early in his career, and the current generation should emulate what he did during his lifetime,” he said.

Among those present to pay their last respects to Mohamed Dzaiddin were former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Wan Adnan Muhamad, and former Johor Bahru Member of Parliament Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad.

Mohamed Dzaiddin breathed his last at the age of 86 at the Prince Court Hospital yesterday due to heart complications.

-- BERNAMA