Chan Sek Keong
Encyclopedia
Chan Sek Keong is the current Chief Justice of Singapore
, having taken over from the former Chief Justice Yong Pung How
on 11 April 2006. Chan was formerly the Attorney-General of Singapore
, before being succeeded by Chao Hick Tin
on 11 April 2006.
, in Malaysia, the third of five children. His father was a bank clerk in the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank. When the Japanese occupation of Singapore
began, they fled to Taiping
to stay with his grandfather.
He received his early education in King Edward VII School
in Taiping together with his elder brother, and continued at the Anderson School when they moved back to Ipoh after the war ended in 1945. Chan, who was then eight years old, was placed together with other children who had missed entering school at the usual age of six years. At the time, Anderson School was the premier government school in Ipoh equivalent to the Raffles Institution
of Singapore. He was happy in school, and mixed well with students from other races. In 1955, Chan scored eight distinctions for his Senior Cambridge
School Certificate examinations – one of the best in Malaya
that year. He was offered a teaching bursary
. However, as becoming a teacher was not what he envisaged, he continued on to the Sixth Form
to try to get a place in the university.
In his second year of the Sixth Form course, his English literature teacher Dr Etherton told him that a professor of law from the University of Malaya
(now the National University of Singapore
) would be visiting the school to encourage students in the form to take up a new law course offered by the University. Etherton saw Chan's potential for law and urged him to try for it. Chan, unaware about the career prospects a law degree could offer, took Etherton's advice and went for an interview conducted by Professor Lee Sheridan.
in Singapore. He began his career with Messrs Bannon & Bailey in Kuala Lumpur
as a pupil
of Peter Mooney. Six months later he learned that the law degree he had graduated with was not yet recognized for admission to the Bar as the necessary legislation had not been enacted yet. As soon as the legislation was passed, Chan applied to the Bar Council of Malaysia to ask for the period of pupillage he was required to serve be shortened. Following a rejection of the request, Chan petitioned the court against the Bar Council's decision. R. Ramani, a leading advocate and Chairman of the Bar Council, appeared personally to object to Chan's petition on the ground that he had provided only one reason for abridgment of time when the relevant provision in the legislation referred to “reasons”. Justice H.T. Ong ruled in Chan's favour, holding that the provision should be interpreted to include situations where there was only one reason for reducing the length of a pupillage stint.
of Singapore on 1 July 1986. Two years later, he became a Judge
of the Supreme Court of Singapore.
In 1992, he was appointed Attorney-General of Singapore. Acting in this capacity in 1997, he submitted an opinion to the Government of Singapore
that although the Parliamentary Elections Act forbade unauthorized persons to loiter within 200 metres of polling stations on polling day, this did not apply to unauthorized persons who were inside the stations. Chan was asked to render this opinion following a complaint by the Workers' Party of Singapore
that during the 1997 general election former People's Action Party
Members of Parliament
had loitered in polling stations. The decision was regarded as technically correct, but not in keeping with the spirit of the provision. Chan relinquished the position of Attorney-General on 11 April 2006 when he was appointed Chief Justice of Singapore
.
(Second Class) by the Government
on 9 August 2008 for his outstanding contributions to the team representing Singapore in the Pedra Branca dispute
against the Government of Malaysia before the International Court of Justice
. The same month, he became the first Singaporean and local law graduate to become an honorary bencher
of Lincoln's Inn
.
On 21 November 2009, Chan became the first Asian jurist to be given the International Jurists Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the administration of justice which, according to International Council of Jurists president Adish Aggarwala
, had "enhanced the dignity of the judiciary in Asian countries".
Chief Justice of Singapore
The Chief Justice of Singapore is the highest post in the judicial system of Singapore. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President, chosen from candidates recommended by the Prime Minister. The present Chief Justice is Chan Sek Keong....
, having taken over from the former Chief Justice Yong Pung How
Yong Pung How
Yong Pung How, DUT . He was the former Chief Justice of Singapore, serving from 1990 to 2006. Prior to his judicial career, he was a lawyer, banker and senior government official...
on 11 April 2006. Chan was formerly the Attorney-General of Singapore
Attorney-General of Singapore
The Attorney-General of Singapore is the legal adviser to the government of the Republic of Singapore and its public prosecutor.The office was founded in 1867 as the chief legal officer of the British crown colony of the Straits Settlements. The current requirements for appointment as...
, before being succeeded by Chao Hick Tin
Chao Hick Tin
Chao Hick Tin is an appellate judge and former Attorney-General of Singapore. He was born in Singapore and studied at Catholic High School. He received his legal education at University College London, where he obtained his Bachelor and Masters of Law degrees in 1965 and 1966 respectively. He was...
on 11 April 2006.
Early life and education
Chan was born on 5 November 1937 in Ipoh, PerakPerak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
, in Malaysia, the third of five children. His father was a bank clerk in the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank. When the Japanese occupation of Singapore
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
began, they fled to Taiping
Taiping, Perak
Taiping is a town located in northern Perak, Malaysia. With a population of 191,104 , it is the second largest town in Perak after Ipoh, the state capital. Taiping took over Kuala Kangsar's role as the state capital from 1876 to 1937, but was then replaced by Ipoh...
to stay with his grandfather.
He received his early education in King Edward VII School
King Edward VII School (Taiping)
King Edward VII School is a premier school located in Taiping, Perak, Malaysia. It is a premier school. It is also a Smart School which emphasize in the use of Information Technology in academic classes....
in Taiping together with his elder brother, and continued at the Anderson School when they moved back to Ipoh after the war ended in 1945. Chan, who was then eight years old, was placed together with other children who had missed entering school at the usual age of six years. At the time, Anderson School was the premier government school in Ipoh equivalent to the Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section...
of Singapore. He was happy in school, and mixed well with students from other races. In 1955, Chan scored eight distinctions for his Senior Cambridge
Senior Cambridge
The Senior Cambridge examinations were General Certificate of Education examinations held in Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Jamaica. They were preceded by the Junior Cambridge and Preliminary Cambridge examinations.-India:...
School Certificate examinations – one of the best in Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
that year. He was offered a teaching bursary
Bursary
A bursary is strictly an office for a bursar and his or her staff in a school or college.In modern English usage, the term has become synonymous with "bursary award", a monetary award made by an institution to an individual or a group to assist the development of their education.According to The...
. However, as becoming a teacher was not what he envisaged, he continued on to the Sixth Form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
to try to get a place in the university.
In his second year of the Sixth Form course, his English literature teacher Dr Etherton told him that a professor of law from the University of Malaya
University of Malaya
The University of Malaya is located on a campus near the centre of Kuala Lumpur, and is the oldest university in Malaysia. It was founded in 1905 as a public-funded tertiary institution...
(now the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
) would be visiting the school to encourage students in the form to take up a new law course offered by the University. Etherton saw Chan's potential for law and urged him to try for it. Chan, unaware about the career prospects a law degree could offer, took Etherton's advice and went for an interview conducted by Professor Lee Sheridan.
Legal education and training
Chan, along with the other students, was a member of the first batch of students admitted to the Law Department in the University of Malaya in 1957. Four years later in 1961, he was among the inaugural group of 22 students to graduate from the Law Faculty of the University of MalayaNational University of Singapore Faculty of Law
The National University of Singapore, Faculty of Law is the older of Singapore's two law schools. The Faculty was initially established as the Department of Law in the then University of Malaya in 1956, with the first batch of students matriculating in the following year...
in Singapore. He began his career with Messrs Bannon & Bailey in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
as a pupil
Pupillage
A pupillage, in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, is the barrister's equivalent of the training contract that a solicitor undertakes...
of Peter Mooney. Six months later he learned that the law degree he had graduated with was not yet recognized for admission to the Bar as the necessary legislation had not been enacted yet. As soon as the legislation was passed, Chan applied to the Bar Council of Malaysia to ask for the period of pupillage he was required to serve be shortened. Following a rejection of the request, Chan petitioned the court against the Bar Council's decision. R. Ramani, a leading advocate and Chairman of the Bar Council, appeared personally to object to Chan's petition on the ground that he had provided only one reason for abridgment of time when the relevant provision in the legislation referred to “reasons”. Justice H.T. Ong ruled in Chan's favour, holding that the provision should be interpreted to include situations where there was only one reason for reducing the length of a pupillage stint.
Career
After being admitted to the Bar on 31 January 1962, he practiced as a lawyer for a number of years before being appointed the first Judicial CommissionerJudicial Commissioner
A Judicial Commissioner in Singapore is appointed to the Supreme Court by the President of Singapore on the advice of the Prime Minister, and has the powers of a Judge. A person may be appointed a Judicial Commissioner if he/she has been a "qualified person" within the meaning of section 2 of the...
of Singapore on 1 July 1986. Two years later, he became a Judge
Judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore
The judicial officers of the Republic of Singapore work in the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts to hear and determine disputes between litigants in civil cases and, in criminal matters, to determine the liability of accused persons and their sentences if they are convicted.In the Supreme...
of the Supreme Court of Singapore.
In 1992, he was appointed Attorney-General of Singapore. Acting in this capacity in 1997, he submitted an opinion to the Government of Singapore
Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
that although the Parliamentary Elections Act forbade unauthorized persons to loiter within 200 metres of polling stations on polling day, this did not apply to unauthorized persons who were inside the stations. Chan was asked to render this opinion following a complaint by the Workers' Party of Singapore
Workers' Party of Singapore
The Workers' Party of Singapore is a centre-left opposition political party in Singapore. The party currently has six elected seats in Parliament, with the party's Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang, Chairman Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Muhamad Faisal Manap and Pritam Singh serving as Members of...
that during the 1997 general election former People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
Members of Parliament
Members of the Singapore Parliament
The following is a historical list of members for the current and past ten Parliaments of Singapore:-See also:*1st Parliament of Singapore*2nd Parliament of Singapore*3rd Parliament of Singapore*4th Parliament of Singapore*5th Parliament of Singapore...
had loitered in polling stations. The decision was regarded as technically correct, but not in keeping with the spirit of the provision. Chan relinquished the position of Attorney-General on 11 April 2006 when he was appointed Chief Justice of Singapore
Chief Justice of Singapore
The Chief Justice of Singapore is the highest post in the judicial system of Singapore. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President, chosen from candidates recommended by the Prime Minister. The present Chief Justice is Chan Sek Keong....
.
Awards and decorations
Chan was conferred the Order of TemasekOrder of Temasek
The Darjah Utama Temasek is Singapore's second most important national honour and was instituted in 1962.There are 3 grades of the Order of Temasek:*the First Class, consisting of the Badge and the Star of the Order...
(Second Class) by the Government
Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
on 9 August 2008 for his outstanding contributions to the team representing Singapore in the Pedra Branca dispute
Pedra Branca dispute
The Pedra Branca dispute was a territorial dispute between Singapore and Malaysia over several islets at the eastern entrance to the Singapore Strait, namely Pedra Branca , Middle Rocks and South Ledge...
against the Government of Malaysia before the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
. The same month, he became the first Singaporean and local law graduate to become an honorary bencher
Bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can be elected while still a barrister , in recognition of the contribution that the barrister has made to the life of the Inn or to the law...
of Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of 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. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
.
On 21 November 2009, Chan became the first Asian jurist to be given the International Jurists Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the administration of justice which, according to International Council of Jurists president Adish Aggarwala
Adish Aggarwala
Dr. Adish C. Aggarwala is jurist and the President of . Aggarwala is a Senior Additional Advocate General of Haryana and Additional Advocate General of State Punjab. He serves as Senior Central Government Counsel in the Supreme Court of India and Delhi High Court...
, had "enhanced the dignity of the judiciary in Asian countries".