Kuala Lampur, July 3 -- After Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat on Tuesday (July 1), Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, the first Sarawakian to serve as the President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), concluded his last official day at work at the Palace of Justice yesterday.

So today, the Judiciary is without the Chief Justice (CJ) and PCA, the top two judicial officers of the country - perhaps unprecedented.

Do the vacant offices affect the work of the Judiciary?

The answer lies in Section 9 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964.

Section 9 on "Exercise of powers during incapacity or absence" provides as follows:

(1) Whenever during any period, owing to illness or absence from Malaysia or any other cause, the Chief Justice is unable to exerci...