This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on May 6, 2019 - May 12, 2019

There were a couple of good appointments to top positions in the civil service last week, which could be an indication of more things to come.

For a start, the appointment of Federal Court judge Datuk Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat as the chief justice, the country’s top judge, is welcomed. She has extensive experience and, more importantly, has proved that she is apolitical and not cowed by political pressure. There have been many instances where she has shown tenacity and perseverance in upholding justice.

She is also comparatively young at just below 60, which means she has a good six years until July 2025 to improve things at the judiciary, which has come under fire lately.

Recall that Court of Appeal judge Datuk Hamid Sultan Abu Backer claimed in an affidavit recently that judges were aiding private parties and politicians to defraud the government.

The appointment of a woman chief justice for the first time also shows how progressive we are as a nation.

The other notable appointment was that of Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Bador as the new inspector-general of police. Like Maimun, he is seen as above politics and not intimidated by politicians.  In July 2015, when he was Special Branch deputy chief, he was among several

high-ranking officials removed from the 1Malaysia Development Bhd investigations.

Abdul Hamid’s task as IGP will be to repair the tarnished image of the police, which has taken a beating after allegations of corruption as well as the recent findings by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) that the abductions of pastor Raymond Koh and activist Amri Che Mat were “enforced disappearance by state agents”.

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