Court delays hurt people

Letters

THE public is wondering whether the courts have taken steps to fast-track reserved decisions as per the announcement by Chief Judge Sir Gibbs Salika at the opening of the 2019 legal year.
The announcement came at a time when there is a huge backlog of cases, listed under reserved decisions.
Currently, certain courts at Waigani are dealing with single reserved decision in a month, which is a very slow rate.
Apparently, judges spend 90 per cent of their time attending to motions and directions and hearing matters on daily basis.
It is common knowledge that it is the prerogative of the courts and judges to set the dates for the decisions.
However, ordinary Papua New Guineans do not understand the logic behind, the courts’ practices to prolong the reserve decisions for years.
The fact is that, simple ordinary people have made sacrifices to seek justice.
However, they are literally forced to wait for years without any form of explanation from the courts, and that amounts to prejudice and a denial of justice.
Judges have the moral and ethical responsibilities to ensure justice is delivered in a timely manner without undue delay.
The practice by the courts to delay reserved decision for years must bephased out to improve public confidence and trust in the legal system.
Time will only tell if the chief judge’s new directives and visions are being embraced by the judges and the courts.

Hunters Tok Stret