Suffian was widely regarded as a respected judicial figure who was a fierce defender of judiciary's independence.
1982 Braddell Memorial Lecture When speaking of the Malaysian judiciary to a Singapore audience he said: In a multi-racial and multi-religious society like yours and mine, while we judges cannot help being Malay or Chinese or Indian; or being Muslim or Buddhist or Hindu or whatever, we strive not to be too identified with any particular race or religion – so that nobody reading our judgment with our name deleted could with confidence identify our race or religion, and so that the various communities, especially minority communities, are assured that we will not allow their rights to be trampled underfoot.
1988 Judicial crisis A one-sided public tribunal ratified the sacking of Salleh, while a second tribunal removed two of the senior judges from office. Few Malaysians dared speak out, but Suffian, to whom many turned for an impartial opinion, did not hold back. He said "Those who stand by and do nothing to protect the independence of the judiciary, will in the end get the judiciary they deserve - one powerless to stand between them and tyranny." Suffian had a long association with the
Constitution of Malaysia, first with its drafting and then with its operation as a member of the Legal Department, and finally with its interpretation from 1961 when he was elevated to the bench of the Federal Court. He had served as the Pro-Chancellor of
University of Malaya. ==Publications==