Issues still need to be addressed

The National Letters

IT is good that the government has increased the monthly allowances and to payment them through the payroll.
This will boast the moral of the village court officials in performing their duties.
The existing of these law and order institution at the lower community level is very important in maintain peace and harmony in the community.
However, several issues that needs to be addressed by those in authority.
Some of the issues include:
1. Since the government increased the allowances, people in authority have failed to vet the listing that comes of the provinces. The village courts secretariat blindly accepts list of people to be appointed as Magistrates.
They just accept the listing without verifying the back ground of persons, and as a result lot of so called officials who on the payroll are relatives and family members of the officers on the ground.
The director must make it his business to verify the list before he approves or recommend for appointment.
2. Provinces are failing to supervise village courts and as a result they do not know who the officials are.
Many of these village court officials are not in their local communities but in towns and cities and at the end of the month they go to ATMs and collect their allowances without being detected by their supervisors.
3.  I have seeing every week end in Port Moresby or Mt Hagen and other main centres there are people doing peace mediation. These people are not village court officials but people who call them self as peace mediators.
They mediate and order compensation. From this I see that the so called peace mediators have mushroomed because the Village Courts system is not effective as it used to be some years back and therefore cannot meet the demands of the community.
4. Those managing the system should be more innovative thinkers and not like in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Things have changes over the years and the system of village courts must be changed in how the system is being managed and administered to address key social issues in the communities.
Those in authority must be proactive in the management of the system so that it will deliver its mandated function in maintain peace and harmony in the community.

Ex Official
Lae