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Chief Justice Professor Dr Muhammad Syarifuddin
Vice Chief Justice for Judicial Matters, Dr Sunarto
Leadership of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia
Ladies and gentlemen

Key Messages

1. Mediation is a fundamental tool for the resolution of disputes, because it advances two core ideals of a justice system: the rule of law and the maintenance of peace.

2. International mediation has immense potential to advance the amicable resolution of international family disputes and international commercial disputes. Yet, the promise of international mediation can only be realised fully with the support of the courts, which have a central role to play in promoting international mediation.

Key Messages

1. To discharge their responsibilities, judges must be competent and they must enjoy legitimacy. Today, there are numerous challenges that affect one or both of these essential elements: (a) global geopolitical and economic challenges; (b) the phenomenon of the growing complexity of disputes; (c) challenges arising from greater interconnectedness between jurisdictions; (d) rising barriers against access to justice; (e) the proliferation of disinformation and the devaluation of truth; and (f) a breakdown of trust in public institutions.

2. These challenges come together to form a "perfect long storm" bearing down on judiciaries across the world. Within the constraints of judicial independence and the separation of powers, judiciaries must urgently mount a robust response to these challenges.

3. For a start, this response should involve three ways in which the judicial role ought to evolve. First, court systems must become more user-centric, with the courts providing adequate legal information and practical assistance to court users, and engaging in public communications and outreach. Second, judiciaries should work to enhance judicial competencies, by investing in judicial education and training, and pursuing continuous innovation in areas such as increasing the efficiency of the conduct of litigation. Third, judiciaries should promote international judicial engagement, which includes formal and informal collaboration between courts across jurisdictions, as well as the development of a transnational system of justice.

The apex court rules that transactions premised on gambling activities are against public policy and are illegal, null, and void.

A gambling debt is not legally enforceable in Malaysia on grounds of public policy, the Federal Court has ruled. In delivering the unanimous judgment of the court, Justice Nordin Hassan noted that the government had repeatedly and firmly voiced its stance against gambling in Parliament on grounds that the public derives no benefit from it.

Globally, there is an unfettered right of access to court proceedings by the public, which is consilient with the principle of open justice as it is regarded as an essential tenet of any justice system to guarantee public confidence, independence, and accountability in the administration of justice. In Malaysia, Section 15 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964 states that all civil and criminal matters shall be deemed to be open and accessible to the public. Journalists are often keen to report on cases that are newsworthy and those that garners public interest wherein they act as an intermediary between the public and the courts.