In Memoriam: CJ Yong

When LKY asked him to “just clean up the whole thing, you know what to do,” former CJ Yong Pung How (YPH) stepped up to the plate and made it happen, taking the unbeaten path to become “the father of the modern judiciary of Singapore” - per VK Rajah. 

If you turn to the obituary page this morning, you get to see for the rarest of times all of YPH’s colleagues, from CJ, Justices, Judges and Court officers paying their tribute.

That being said, not everyone, especially on the legal practitioners‘ side, could adapt to YPH’s epic overhauling of the judiciary system when he took over from his predecessor in 1990. 

Mind you, he had a backlog of more than 2000 cases to clear and the system was still tethered to the colonial traditions. 

Reforms therefore called for a tough hand and a firm grip, and in his 16 years at the helm, he transformed it into a “world-class judiciary staffed by first-rate legal talent and deploying cutting-edge technological advances” - per law society president Gregory Vijayendran. 

Aside from his other achievements in finance and government, even the private sector, YPH was also feared by lawyers. It reports that “some lawyers were on the receiving end of a dressing down from him in court would subsequently avoid appearing before him again.” 

YPH was also known as the “double-up” judge, referring to the various occasions when he enhanced the prison sentences of accused when he presided over criminal appeals. Yet, according to Singapore Academy of Law Serene Wee, the reverse was true. For more often than not, “he reduced sentences on appeal.” It is a seldom reported compassionate side of the man. 

But it is undeniable that YPH had his candid (and unfiltered) moments when he presided over cases. He was a straight talker, didn’t mince his words. He called it as it is, with tact or otherwise. 

“Mr Yong was also well-known for his acerbic observations in the courtroom. Once, he was told by the defence counsel that an 18-year-old boy who had sex with a minor was given probation by a district judge. Mr Yong said of the judge: “Maybe he should be put on probation.””

Lesson? Mm...although I do not know the man personally and professionally, but in the various reports today, you get to read two quotes from him that I find most humane and illuminating. 

Here is the first quote.

“Speaking at the dinner hosted by then President SR Nathan, he added: “It has been said that judges live on through their judgments. Perhaps so. I would like to think that if I live on, it will be though the unstinting efforts of the men and women (present), who have made me proud to have been their leader and associate.”

That’s true. For I have learned that the greatness of a leader is not in himself, but in the greatness he or she inspires in others. It is thus a concerted effort that perseveres amidst the greatest of trials, and it is never a solo high-flyer act. 

Here, I am reminded of what MLK once said, “the arc of the moral universe is long and it bends towards justice.” In this case, I believe it bends tirelessly towards friendships forged, systems transformed and a sterling legacy carried forward like burning torches passed on for the future generations of our land. 

The second quote came right from his heart. 

“In an interview in 2004, (when asked about his finest hour in life), he said: “I would say it was the day I married my wife. We have been married for 50 years now, and I still consider her my best friend.”

He added: “To stay happily married with a good reputation and a close-knit family must be one of anybody’s happiest achievements in life, whatever the work you do.”

Alas, from a man of fierce logic and one who is a “prodigiously talented individual”, that is the truest and the most down-to-earth reflection straight from the heart.

It is something we can all identify with, beyond all measures, and it is a timeless advice to remind us all that at the end of the day, whether you find life or people contemptible or generous, we eventually come home to the most basic desire of our soul, that is, the unmistakable empowering embrace of family and loved ones. 

No relationship (in all our worldly endeavours) is closer than the union of two, and the fruits of such labour over the years is the birth of a family one spend his or her lifetime with. 

And indeed, the happiest achievement in one’s life is to return - after all the fanfare and attention - to the anchor and safe harbour of our love and devotion, regardless of where we are in life, regardless of the mistakes we have made and/or the earthly accolades lavished upon us. 

For I must always bear in my heart that, in the blinking eye of mortality, what matters at the defining bend of this moral universe is the unwavering companionship of a lifetime. That has to be the crowning glory of our earthly life when we too make our quiet exit.