The first Chief Justice of
Singapore, Wee Chong Jin, died on this date, 5 June 2005. As he was one of my
beloved judges, I will post one of his quotes for the Pro Death Penalty Quote
of the week.
QUOTE: The qualities that one
should look for in a judge are a burning desire to be fair and impartial; the courage
to uphold the law and strike down injustice; compassion, coupled with an
understanding of human frailties; and lastly, love for the law. ["A giant of S'pore legal history". The Straits
Times. June 6, 2005.]
AUTHOR: Wee Chong Jin (Chinese: 黄宗仁;
pinyin: Huáng Zōng Rén;
28 September 1917 – 5 June 2005) was a Singaporean judge and the first Chief
Justice of the country. He was born in Penang to parents Wee Gim Puay and Lim
Paik Yew. He received his early education at the Penang Free School, and read
law at St John's College, Cambridge. He was called to Bar at the Middle Temple
in November 1938, and was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of Straits
Settlements in 1940 upon returning to Penang.
Wee practiced law in
Malaysia and Singapore from 1940 to 1957, with the firm Wee Swee Teow and Co.
He also became the first Asian lawyer to be appointed to the position of a
judge at the Supreme Court of Singapore on 15 August 1957, and subsequently
appointed Chief Justice of Singapore on 5 January 1963. His appointment as
Chief Justice, marked the end the century-old tradition of appointing British
Chief Justices -the last of whom was Sir Alan Rose - for Singapore. Wee
remained in the position for 27 years, making him the longest-serving chief
justice not only in Singapore, but also in the Commonwealth.
He also served as the
first chairman of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights from 1973 and
remained at its helm for 18 years. Wee assumed the post of the acting President
of Singapore for two days when Devan Nair stepped down as President. Wee Chong
Jin had also stepped in when head-of-states were either away or indisposed. He
had stood in for Yusof Ishak when he was Yang di-Pertuan Negara and also for
President Benjamin Sheares. He was the first president of the Singapore Academy
of Law in 1988. In April 1992 Wee was made an Honorary Member and Fellow of the
Singapore Academy of Law for life - the highest honour made to a person by the
Academy. He served as a legal consultant of the Supreme Court of Singapore
after his retirement on 27 September 1990, and was diagnosed with lung cancer
in 2004.
Wee was also known
for his love for sports, as he was an outstanding cricketer for Cambridge
University in 1937 and a keen golfer serving as President of the Singapore Golf
Association from 1962 to 2002. Wee died on June 5, 2005 of complications from
lung and brain cancer, and a funeral was held at the Catholic Church of St.
Ignatius at King's Road before his body was cremated at the Mandai Crematorium.
Wee is survived by his wife, Cecilia Henderson, three sons, Laurence, John and
Patrick, and one daughter, Veronica, and grandchildren.
APPLICATION: Although
this quote does not directly refer to the death penalty, I chose this to remind
people that this is a duty of a judge. I love this quote as it is another great
example of a safeguard in Capital Cases. I recommend people to read the book of
him, you will learn what it is like being a judge.
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