March for the law commendable

ELA Beach Drive, lined by beautiful palm and green shrubbery in this time of rain, was a flood of moving be-gowned lawyers in their distinctive black and white last Friday.
They came from the private and public sector in solidarity to make a walk for what they described as the march for the Rule of Law.
The march was as much a surprise as it was pleasing to note.
You normally see these bunch standing with their backs to the public arguing points of law with the judges and their colleagues. They do not often have much time for the ordinary folk – we cannot afford their bills – so it was good to see them on the streets mingling with the common folk.
They came to make an important and a bold public statement, and that is terribly important.
Judge, lawyer, teacher, journalist or pastor, you might be, but we all live and work within the boundaries of this beautiful land.
When the stress lines appear in the foundations of this great democratic building, all are called to make their stand for what is right, what is legal and what is fair. Our lawyers did that and they must be commended for the peaceful nature and the dignified manner of their march.
Except for the start of the legal year, it is not often that we see lawyers take to the streets in numbers, certainly not to make a public statement by such acts.
If lawyers, as a collective body, have decided that there is a case to be made for the Rule of Law, then it has to be serious.
PNG Law Society President Hubert Namani has expressed concern that the lack of transparency and accountability in the expenditure of public funds is a grave concern and has called for this to be addressed urgently.
He said: “Good governance and accountability in the public sector are non-negotiable.
“Compliance with prescribed processes of law in procurement and expenditure is paramount to ensure the responsible use of public funds.”
We agree with him.
Namani has raised, as this newspaper has done many times, concern about the alarming buildup of firearms in the Highlands and in the indiscriminate use of them to kill and maim hundreds of people.
Buildup of arms in one part of the country does threaten the safety and security of everyone in the country.
Turning a blind eye to “justice in the Highlands is tantamount to tolerating injustice on a national scale”, Namani said. We agree.
He talked about the rise in drug trafficking, the long delay in effecting electoral reforms and the need for introducing biometric system of elections to ensure integrity of the electoral process.
The perceived corrupt practices surrounding Connect PNG rollout programme and the looting, mayhem and killings of Jan 10-11 were selected by the Law Society President for special mention.
“Efficiency in the criminal justice system is essential,” says he. “Justice must be served to prevent our people from taking the law into their own hands, ensuring that the fabric of society remains intact and the principles of fairness and accountability are upheld.
“It is essential that policies guide legislation, with national interests taking precedence over political interests and/or private commercial interests.”
These are not new sentiments. They have been written about in so many social media post and in the pages and the airwaves of our mainstream media.
But it is the first time lawyers, as a group, have taken issue with these prevailing circumstances, that they can see the danger is present and clear.
We can see clearly what they are protesting but who are they protesting against?
There can be no other authority than the Government. It is the Government that makes the laws, the regulations, the policies and the programmes. It is the Government that runs the law and order agencies and the national procurement processes.
Marches of this nature are directed at the Government and the Government must come down and address each to the satisfaction of the population.

Note:
Our Editorial yesterday misidentified Debra Sungi as Sandra. We apologise to Ms Sungi for the error.