Former lord president dies

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KUALA LUMPUR: Former lord president Tun Abdul Hamid Omar, who suffered a debilitating stroke 20 months ago, died of renal failure at Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre yesterday. He was 80.

Abdul Hamid, who retired in 1994, was buried at the Bukit Kiara Muslim cemetery after Asar prayers.

Earlier Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin visited the home of Abdul Hamid in Jalan Langgak Tunku to offer their condolences to his wife, Toh Puan Azian Aiyub Ghazali.

The couple have four children and 17 grandchildren.

Najib, in paying tribute, described Abdul Hamid as someone who had contributed much to the nation's judicial system.

"His contributions will be recorded in the history and development of the country's judiciary," he said.

Abdul Hamid's third child, Hanizah, said her father was admitted to the hospital on Monday after having a fever and chronic influenza.

"The doctor said his blood pressure was low and he had an infection in his kidney," she said, adding that her father died at 9.35am.

"We are glad that we had the chance to say goodbye to our father. He died peacefully with his family members by his side."

Meanwhile, Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria described Abdul Hamid as a kind but strict judge who went by the book and had never compromised on matters of the law.

"I have never known him to lose his temper during proceedings," he added.

Abdul Hamid obtained his Barrister-at-Law from Lincoln's Inn, London, and a Doctorate in Law from Oklahoma City University, United States.

He began his career in 1956 as a magistrate and later as a Sessions Court judge, in Kuala Lumpur, Raub, Taiping and Seremban.

In Terengganu, Penang and Perak, he served as a legal adviser. He was also a Federal Court Registrar and legal draftsman at the Attorney-General's Chambers.

He was made Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge in 1968, and in 1980, was made a Federal Court judge.

In 1985, he was appointed the Chief Justice of Malaya prior to his appointment as the Lord President, in 1988.

Upon his retirement, he joined the private sector and was appointed chairman of several companies including First Allied Corporation Bhd, Olympia Industries Bhd and Bukit Unggul Country Club Bhd and executive chairman of Macro System Consultancy Sdn Bhd.

He was also Bernama's supervisory council president for three years from June 1976.

Family members expressed their gratitude to VIPs who came to pay their last respects.