Report by Massa Kanneh_masskanneh4@gmail.com
MONROVIA: Liberia’s Chief Justice Francis Korkpor has warned Policy makers to desist from treating the Judiciary as internal affairs.
Speaking Monday at the official opening of the August term of Court, Chief Justice Korkpor described the Judiciary is the fulcrum of the Society.
He said, if the Judiciary does not function well, the society will be at a standstill and rights will be violated.
Though the Chief Justice was not specific on names, he noted that policy makers should understand that the Judiciary is not Internal Affairs where programs are planned and postponed sometimes.
Kporkor added, the Judiciary operates on laws and Constitution, as such can not be delayed on its operations.
This branch of government is not like the other branches of government. You cannot postpone the work of the Judiciary.
What we are doing today, the opening of court is by law, this day is set by all of us in this country, we cannot change it without violating the law.
I am saying this to say if there is a program designed for the Ministry of Internal Affairs for example, you can say okay, since we don’t have now, let’s postpone it, but here in the court, there is no way you postpond without violating the law.
So, policy makers now should know this, and be able to cater to the Judiciary, and the courts in a way that we will continue function.
In recent times, there have been reports of delay in allotment and salary of judicial staffs, which might have prompted the Chief Justice’s speech.
Meanwhile, Judge Roosevelt Willie who delivered the charge, said History might repeat itself if cautions are not taken towards the Judiciary.
Judge Willie provided a scenario where the International Crisis group report 2006 found that the Judiciary of Liberia was one of the root causes of the Civil War.
He said the report furthered that the Judiciary was being interfered with, Judges and Magistrates were not adquately compensated and there were constant delayed in their salaries and benefits, which prompted widespread corruption and led to Mob Violence in the society.
It is often said that those forget their history will always repeat the same mistakes of the past. The question to us as judicial actors, and all Liberians is “Have we learnt from our past mistakes?
Therefore, as we open the August A.D. 2019 term of court, let us do everything possible as justice actors to improve the Justices, Judges, Magistrates, former Defenders, Sheriffs, and support staffs to learn from our past mistakes.
