Justice delayed is justice denied

CONGRATULATIONS to Sir Gibbs Salika on his appointment as the chief judge of PNG.
When Sir Gibbs opened the 2019 legal year, he openly expressed his view on improving the court system.
He said he wanted all “reserved decisions”, which had been delayed, to be fast tracked.
This is bitter sweet news, as there are many court cases, listed for “reserved decisions” but have taken forever for judges to make rulings.
Whether the new directives from the chief judge would be embraced by respective judges and court registry in managing their daily roles is a concern shared by ordinary people.
I find it hard to comprehend why, the courts on daily basis spend more time on the “motions” and “direction hearings” while the “reserved decisions” receive little or no attention at all.
There needs to be an overhaul in managing the court process, to allow the judges to concentrate more on the “reserved decisions”.
This would essentially help the courts to reduce ever increasing backlog of cases.
The chief judge essentially gave an undertaking to improve the court system from this year and I applaud his vision and directions.
Based on the words of the chief judge, those of us who have waited for years to get “rulings” are hoping we get justice in 2019.
Justice delayed is justice denied.

BP – Hunters Tok Stret