Abdul Hamid bin Omar (25 March 1929 – 1 September 2009) was the first

Chief Justice of Malaysia The Chief Justice of Malaysia ( Malay: ''Ketua Hakim Negara Malaysia''), also known as the chief justice of the Federal Court, is the office and title of the head of the Malaysian judiciary system. The title has been in use since 1994, and p ...

Early life

Abdul Hamid Omar was born on 25 March 1929 in Kuala Perlis, Perlis Indera Kayangan. He obtained his early education at the

Sultan Abdul Hamid College Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid ( en, Sultan Abdul Hamid College; abbreviated SAHC; also known as Maktab Sultan Abdul Hamid) located in Alor Setar, Kedah, is one of Malaysia's oldest and most prestigious schools. Founded in 1908 as Government English S ...

Alor Setar Alor Setar ( Jawi: الور ستار, Kedahan: ''Loqstaq'') is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia. It is the second-largest city in the state after Sungai Petani and one of the most-important cities on the west coast of Peninsular Malays ...

in 1940, which could not be completed as a result of the Second World War. During the war period, he was able to master the Japanese language. When the war ended, he returned to Alor Setar to continue his studies and passed his "Senior Cambridge" examination. Later, he left for London to further his studies at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincol ...

, and graduated as a Barrister-at-Law in England. He was called to the English Bar in November 1955.

Career

He first entered the Malaysian Civil Service as a Magistrate in 1956, and then moved to become Deputy Public Prosecutor of

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand' ...

State (1960–1961) and then quickly moved to being State Legal Advisor of Perak (1961–1962). After a few years he was then Chief Registrar of the Federal Court (1967) and soon afterwards a High Court Judge (1968). After becoming Chief Justice of Malaya in 1985, he was involved in the

1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis The 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis (also known as the 1988 judicial crisis) was a series of events that began with United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party elections in 1987 and ended with the suspension and the eventual removal ...

, chairing the six member

tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...

which resulted in the dismissal of the then Lord President Tun

Salleh Abas Mohamed Salleh bin Abas ( Jawi: محمد صالح بن عباس; ‎25 August 1929 – 16 January 2021) was a Malaysian judge and politician. He was a Lord President of the Federal (then Supreme) Court of Malaysia. He was dismissed from his ...

. After taking over as

Lord President of the Supreme Court The title of Lord President of the Supreme Court was formerly the title of the head of the judiciary in Malaysia, until 1994 when the office was renamed " Chief Justice of the Federal Court". The Lord President was head of the highest court in Mal ...

a vote of no confidence was passed against him by the

Bar Council {{see also, Bar association A bar council ( ga, Comhairle an Bharra) or bar association, in a common law jurisdiction with a legal profession split between solicitors and barristers or advocates, is a professional body that regulates the profes ...

. He retired shortly after he became Chief Justice of Malaysia in 1994, when the Lord President post was abolished and renamed. He was also involved with the Malaysian Red Crescent Society and joined the private sector after his retirement from the judiciary where he was chairman of several companies.

Death

In early 2008 he suffered from a debilitating

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

. He died aged 80 on 1 September 2009 from

renal failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

at the Gleneagles Hospital,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

Honours

He was bestowed several awards, which include the

Seri Setia Mahkota The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted ...

(S.S.M.) which carries the title of Tun by His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The o ...

on 7 June 1989, the

Panglima Setia Mahkota The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted ...

(P.S.M.), the

Panglima Mangku Negara The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace ...

(P.M.N.), the D.P.M.P. and the P.M.P. He was conferred the Honorary Degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

by the

Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in April 1997.

National honours

*: **

Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (1981) ** Commander of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace ...

(PMN) – Tan Sri (1986) **

Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (SSM) – Tun (1989) *: ** MY-TER Order of Sultan Mahmud I of Terengganu - SSMT

Member Grand Companion of the

Order of Sultan Mahmud I of Terengganu The Most Revered Order of Sultan Mahmud I of Terengganu (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Kebesaran Sultan Mahmud I Terengganu Yang Amat Terpuji'') is a dormant honorific order of the Sultanate of Terengganu History It was founded by Sultan Mahmud al- ...

(SSMT) - Dato’ Seri (1991) ** MY-TER Order of the Crown of Terengganu - SPMT - SMT - AMT

Knight Grand Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Terengganu The Most Distinguished Order of the Crown of Terengganu (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Terengganu Yang Amat Mulia'') is an honorific order of the Sultanate of Terengganu. History It was founded by Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin of Tereng ...

(SPMT) - Dato’ *: ** MY-PAH_Order_of_the_Crown_of_Pahang_-_Grand_Knight_-_SIMP

Grand Knight of the

Order of the Crown of Pahang The Esteemed Order of the Crown of Pahang ( Malay: '' Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Pahang Yang Amat Mulia'') is a knighthood order of the Sultanate of Pahang. History The order was founded by Sultan Abu Bakar on 27 December 1968. It is awarded ...

(S.I.M.P.) - formerly Dato’, now Dato’ Indera (1985) *: ** MY-SEL Order of the Crown of Selangor - Knight Grand Commander - SPMS

Knight Grand Commander of

Order of the Crown of Selangor The Most Illustrious Order of the Crown of Selangor (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Selangor Yang Amat Mulia'') is an order awarded by Sultan of Selangor as a reward for general services to the sultan and state of Selangor. It was foun ...

(SPMS) - Dato’ Seri (1991) *: ** MY-PERL Order of the Crown of Perlis - Knight Commander - DPMP

Knight Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Perlis Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

(DPMP) - Dato’

References

People from Perlis Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims Chief justices of Malaysia 20th-century Malaysian judges Members of Lincoln's Inn Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Grand Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia 2009 deaths 1929 births {{Malaysia-bio-stub