Legal fraternity pays respect to Jalina

By JOSHUA ARLO
ATTORNEY-General Dr Alan Marat has described late National and Supreme Court judge Justice Moses Jalina as a man with “an unblemished integrity”.
Dr Marat was speaking at a special ceremonial sitting at the Waigani Court House last Friday where members of the legal fraternity, judiciary and family and friends turned up to bade their last respects to Justice Jalina.
The ceremony was held in Court Room 1, which was the last court room where the late judge sat in a day before he passed away in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, on Dec 18.
Acting Governor-General and Chief Justice Sir Mari Kapi with his wife, Lady Tegana, were also present at the ceremony.
Also present were retired judge Kubulan Los with his wife, senior magistrates and lawyers including the late judge’s wife Kessie and their children.
The casket with the body of the late judge was set before the Deputy Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia by military pall bearers.
Sir Salamo gave a brief history of the late judge and read out his credentials, saying that he had received the Order of British Empire (OBE) from the Queen.
He also described late Justice Jalina as a hardworking and humble man who gave quality service to his people, in particularly the people of Enga for the last seven years.
Sir Salamo said out of the 40 judges in the Judiciary, the late Justice Jalina was ranked fifth in seniority.
He said the Judiciary had lost one of the most dedicated judges through heart-related causes.
He said the late Justice Jalina was always a fair, dedicated and committed hardworking judge.
Sir Salamo said his death would now leave a permanent hole and absence within the judiciary and his brother and sister judges would miss his presence very much.
He said the late judge’s charismatic qualities touched the lives of many people as was evident with the huge turn up at his funeral service in Wabag, Enga.
The late judge lost his parents as a young man – his mother died when he was in Grade 5 while his father passed away when he entered high school in Wosera, East Sepik.
He continued on to the University of Papua New Guinea to take up law from 1972 to 1976.
In 1977 he went to the Legal Training Institute (LTI), and it was then that he married his wife, Kessie Jalina.
He did a year in private practice before joining the State Solicitors as a State lawyer before being appointed a judge.
Dr Marrat said Justice Jalina was a “fighter” throughout his childhood and as a young man.
He said the late judge and him did their four years at law school together including LTI.
“He lived a very rich life ... the quality of his performance on the bench was of high standards,” Dr Marat said.
He said Justice Jalina was a “spiritual man” with “an unblemished integrity”.
President of the Law Society Kerenga Kua said the late judge was “a hardworking and committed” person.
He said Justice Jalina had left a legacy of precedent reported cases in the PNG Law Reports to help lawyers.
Mr Kua said he had sighted about 481 case judgments that would survive for generations to help assist lawyers and litigants.
A seat between Justice Timothy Hinchliffe and Justice Les Gavara-Nanu was left vacant during the special ceremonial sitting to show where the late judge used to be seated.