Ong Hock Thye

Tan Sri Ong Hock Thye (1908–1977), PMN, PSM, DPMS,^[1] also known as H. T. Ong, was Chief Judge of Malaya (known as Chief Justice of Malaya prior to 1994^[2]^{[circular reference]}) (8 Nov 1968 – 31 Aug 1973)^[3]^[4]^[5] and a Barrister-at-Law of Middle Temple. He was the son of Mr. Ong Teng Up and was born in Penang in 1908. In 1935, he married Chong Khew Yin (1915–1942). In 1943, he married Mary Chung Yuet See (1924–1995), the eldest daughter of Kapitan China Chung Thye Phin.

He was educated at the King Edward VII School and St. George's Institution in Taiping and the University of London. He was the first ethnic Chinese to be appointed a Supreme Court Judge in Malaysia. He was an advocate and solicitor and practiced in Perak from 1931 till his appointment to the Supreme Court on 1 September 1958. He was Chairman of the Royal Commission on Non-Muslim Marriage and Divorce Laws having been appointed on 4 February 1970 by the Duli Yang Maha Mulia Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The other members of his commission comprised Ms P. G. Lim, Enche M. Shankar, Mrs Rosalind Y. C. Foo and DatinJamaki Athi Nahappan.^[6] He authored "Law and Justice Through the Cases" which was published in 1973. He was a former chairman of the Malayan Association of the Blind, Brickfields.^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10] He was Chairman of the National Relief Fund set up following the tragic 13 May incident in 1969.^[11]

Anecdotes

Right To Be Heard

Tan Sri H.T. Ong—when he was Chief Judge of Malaya—once stopped Counsel who had just begun to open an appeal (an indication that he required no argument for the appellant) and called on Counsel for the Respondent. Counsel for the Respondent began belligerently by saying " Do I understand that my Lord has already made up his mind without hearing the case for the Respondent?" "Oh, no!" said H.T. amiably "please say anything you wish Mr X". He then sat back and said not another word. Counsel for the Respondent soon dried up. Counsel for the appellant was not called on to reply. It is only fair to H.T. who had a brilliant mind, quick to grasp a point but who always gave Counsel his say and listened intently, to say that the Privy Council upheld his judgment in the subsequent appeal.^[12]

Chief Justice of Singapore

If not for H. T., Chan Sek Keong, Singapore's Chief Justice, might have taken much longer to enter the legal profession.^[13]^[14]

In Memory

In 1958, Ong Hock Thye, better and popularly known as H.T. Ong, a member of the Hon. Society of the Middle Temple, made legal history when he and Tan Sri Ismail Khan, a Barrister-At-Law of the Hon. Society of the Middle Temple as well, were the first 2 local private practitioners to be elevated to the Bench of the High Court States of Malaya after Independence. H.T.Ong is known for his well crafted judgments and legal prose. He died in 1977.^[15]

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

Malaysia :
- Recipient of the Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Silver) (P.P.M.) (1965)
- Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (P.S.M.) – Tan Sri (1967)^[16]
- Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (P.M.N.) – Tan Sri (1972)^[17]
Selangor :
- Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (D.P.M.S.) – Dato’ (1966)^[18]

Notes

Sources

^ A Year Book of the Commonwealth By Great Britain Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Great Britain Commonwealth Office, Published by H.M.S.O., 1967
^ Lord President of the Supreme Court
^ (1968) 2 MLJ
^ (2015) p. 107, The Malaysian Judiciary Yearbook 2015, http://www.kehakiman.gov.my/sites/default/files/YearBook2015.pdf
^ [1969] 2 M.L.J 129 (Federal Court: Azmi L.P.. Ong Hock Thye C.J. (Malaya), Suffian, Gill & Ali F.JJ.)
^ Report of the Royal Commission on Non-Muslim Marriage and Divorce Laws, The Royal Commission on Non-Muslim Marriage and Divorce Laws, 15 November 1971
^ By British Association of Malaysia, British Association of Malaysia and Singapore, British Association of Malaysia, British Association of Malaysia and Singapore, Great Britain Colonial Office, Malaya Published by British Association of Malaysia, 1958
^ Women Studies in Malaysia: An Overview and a Reference Bibliography By Jamilah Ariffin, Lembaga Perancang Keluarga Negara, Pusat Sumber Maklumat Wanita Dalam Pembangunan (Malaysia) Published by National Population and Family Development Board, 1991
^ Law and Justice Through the Cases By Tan Sri H.T. Ong Published by Malyan law journal, 1973
^ The Who's who in Malaysia edited by John Victor Morais Published by Solai Press, 1965
^ Tunku Abdul Rahman Al Haj on the 48th Anniversary of Merdeka By Dato' Mahadev Shankar
^ Judgments and their background, Peter Mooney, a publication of the Kuala Lumpur Bar, Issue No. 1/05 PP8492/9/2005 May 2005, www.klbar.org.my/publications/pdf/1-2005/2005-May.pdf
^ The Honourable Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong addressing advocates and solicitors at their call to the Singapore bar, 26 May 2007
^ IN CONVERSATION WITH CHIEF JUSTICE CHAN SEK KEONG By KWEK MEAN LUCK, SENIOR ASSISTANT REGISTRAR, SUPREME COURT
^ The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, – S. Balarajah of Middle Temple Barrister-at-law, Info Johore Bar – January 2005, www.johorebar.org.my/publications/JBInfo-jan05.pdf
^ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".
^ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".
^ "DPMS 1966". awards.selangor.gov.my.