KUCHING: Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has conferred the Panglima Negara Bintang Sarawak (PNBS), which carries the title ‘Dato Sri’, on State Legal Counsel Datuk JC Fong on the occasion of the Head of State’s 81st Birthday.
Fong was appointed State Attorney General on Aug 8, 1992 after spending over 21 years in private legal practice. He served in that capacity until Dec 31, 2007 and since then, he has been retained in the service of the state government as Legal Counsel – representing the government in a number of landmark cases, involving constitutional and administrative law, land and forestry laws.
His books ‘Constitutional Federalism in Malaysia’ and ‘Native Customary Law in Sarawak’ have been in demand by those inside and outside the legal profession.
Fong, who is on vacation in Scotland and Norway, said he was pleasantly surprised and humbled by the award. He said it was his privilege and honour to serve the state government.
He thanked the Head of State, Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg and State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani for the award.
Fong said he would dedicate the award to all those who have inspired and assisted him in having a rewarding and satisfying professional career since he was called to the Sarawak Bar in January 1972; and also, during the time when working in the State Public Service.