I sincerely hope that our achievements in the past year will herald the beginning of a new era in our unwavering mission to uphold the rule of law and safeguard the administration of justice in Singapore.

The past year has been one of rapid change and improvement for the Supreme Court, as we continued to build on our reputation as a world-class judiciary.

The landmark event of the legal calendar was the move to our contemporary new building at No. 1 Supreme Court Lane. The growth of modern litigation has placed great pressure on our resources in the last few years, and this move represents a giant leap forward in our efforts to ensure that the quality of justice dispensed by the Supreme Court continues to be of the very highest standard. Equipped with the latest technology and facilities, the new building has been carefully designed to provide the most conducive environment for both civil and criminal trials. State-of-the-art acoustics and video-conferencing technology have been installed to facilitate hearings; waiting areas and separate witness rooms for each party have been designated to aid lawyer-client discussions; and special facilities have been built to cater to vulnerable witnesses. Various security enhancements have also been put in place to ensure the continued safety of all court users.

In line with the move, a number of technological advances were implemented, the most significant of which must be the Digital Transcription System (DTS). While Judges previously had to record their notes of evidence manually, DTS now enables digital audio recording of court hearings and the preparation of transcripts immediately, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of trials heard in the Supreme Court. An Electronic Queue Management System (EQMS) has also been installed to enable Judges and judicial officers hearing multiple cases to manage their hearing lists more efficiently. Besides minimising general waiting periods, EQMS also allows lawyers to perform other tasks in the meantime, as their queue numbers are displayed on screens conveniently located around the building.

The changes we have made in the past year were not limited to physical and technological improvements. Our overriding mission to superintend the administration of justice rests, first and foremost, on the foundation of a strong legal infrastructure. In this regard, the Rules of Court Working Party has been actively preparing to introduce wide-ranging amendments to the Rules of Court. I am pleased to announce that their recommendations have been accepted by the Rules Committee, and the new changes will take effect on 1 January 2006. The most significant reform is the reduction in the number of modes of commencing proceedings from four to two: writs for factual disputes and originating summonses for cases where the facts are not substantially contested. As the four previous originating processes were historical and unnecessarily complicated, the 2006 amendments will do much to streamline the court process by simplifying the commencement of legal proceedings. The Electronic Filing System has also been amended to implement the changes.

I cannot highlight our technological advances and impending reforms without also expressing my profound appreciation to the Honourable Justice Andrew Li, the Chief Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Chief Justice Li generously provided us with full access to the Hong Kong Courts’ own digital transcription service and we have benefited very much from the open sharing of their experiences and systems. In addition, Chief Justice Li also presented us with an advance copy of the Hong Kong Civil Justice Reform Working Party’s Final Report. The bold spirit of reform in this report inspired us to embark on these latest landmark changes to the Rules of Court, and we have been following their progress and exchanging ideas on how to further improve our respective civil justice regimes. The co-operation between the two courts embodies the spirit of judicial comity, and I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership not just between us, but with other judiciaries around the region and the rest of the world.

Our commitment to judicial excellence also extends to recruiting the very best legal minds to the Bench. To that end, we welcomed Dr Andrew Phang Boon Leong to the Supreme Court as a Judicial Commissioner in January. He was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court in December this year. Justice Phang is widely regarded as the foremost academic of his generation in many areas of the law, and his intellect and dynamism have further enhanced the strength and standing of our judiciary. Judicial Commissioner Andrew Ang, an eminent lawyer in his own right, was also appointed Judge of the Supreme Court this year. With these appointments, I am proud to declare this to be one of the strongest Benches I have led in my years as Chief Justice.

We could not have come this far without the invaluable contributions of past members of the Supreme Court Bench. None has shaped our legal landscape more profoundly than the late former Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin, who passed away this year at the age of 87. The late Chief Justice Wee’s stalwart leadership of the Supreme Court through critical periods of our nation’s history contributed greatly to the stability and standing of our legal system today, and he will be dearly missed.

The Bench also bade a fond farewell to Justice MPH Rubin, who retired this year after 14 years of distinguished service. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to him for his contributions to the development of the law in Singapore, and wish him all the best in his future appointments.

For the Supreme Court, the year of 2005 has been marked by the spirit of reform and renewal. However, the quest for judicial distinction is a continuous journey. As we move towards the opening of another legal year, I sincerely hope that our achievements in the past year will herald the beginning of a new era in our unwavering mission to uphold the rule of law and safeguard the administration of justice in Singapore.

YONG PUNG HOW
Chief Justice, Republic of Singapore