Judge promises inmates to make regular visits

By GABRIEL FITO
A NATIONAL court judge has told inmates and those on remand at Boram jail that he would have regular monthly circuit in Wewak starting in January.
Justice Nicholas Kirriwom said this should cut down on the high volume of cases in Wewak.
He met with the Boram inmates on Wednesday where he admitted that East Sepik had a very high number of cases, many of which had not been heard in the past seven years.
He said the situation had prompted him to have a circuit every month starting in January so that “quick justice is done to outstanding bail and remand cases”.
Inmates asked him about the political situation. They were unhappy because the O’Neill regime did not respect the Constitution by refusing to accept the Supreme Court’s decision last Monday resulting in the country – at one point – having two prime ministers, two governor-generals and two police commissioners.
Prisoners’ spokesman Anthony Emmanuel said they were frustrated with the recent turn of events because people were hijacking the Constitution for their own gain.
“If we, the prisoners, can be jailed by the Constitution, why are these people overlooking it by not following the decision of the Supreme Court?” Emmanuel asked.
He said it was the same law that jailed them and if people in high places did not respect it, they may as well walk out of the prisons because there was no law to keep them in prison.
Emmanuel said their action was not in support of Sir Michael Somare but to make sure that the Constitution remained supreme.
Justice Kirriwom told them the Supreme Court had made its ruling in favour of Sir Michael but what transpired after that decision in parliament was something he could not comment on.
Provincial police commander Vincent Pokas appealed to the prisoners to respect the Constitution and remain calm and allow those in authority to find an amicable solution between the two factions in government.
National Alliance East Sepik branch president Henry Takombe supported the move by inmates at Boram to walk out of the prison because there “is no more any law”.
He said if Peter O’Neill and his government had defied the Supreme Court ruling, the prisoners may as well walk out of the prison and return later when the Constitution was corrected by a legitimate government.