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HICHILEMA WANTS TO UNDERMINE THE INDEPENDENCE OF JUDGES, MAGISTRATES
There are many expenses and costs Mr Hakainde Hichilema and his corrupt puppet regime can put a lid on to serve money and encourage frugality. But he cannot do this by freezing or reducing the conditions of service and remuneration of judges.
Conditions of service and tenure of judges are important for the independence, effective functioning of, and public confidence in the courts. Judges should command the highest salaries within the public sector, both to reinforce the unique role and characteristics of the office and to attract the most qualified candidates. Remuneration must be high enough to limit the risk of conflicts of interest or corruption arising from the need for judges to supplement their income.
Mr Hichilema and his league don’t need high salaries and improved conditions of service because they are making a lot of money from fertiliser, oil, mining deals and other schemes. Judges don’t.
Mr Hichilema and the UPND government must urgently improve the salaries and conditions of service for the judges, magistrates and other judicial service staff.
We make this important call after noticing that Mr Hichilema and his corrupt puppet regime are deliberately trying to play down the need for better remuneration and conditions of service for judges by using selfish and dishonest justifications and claims of frugality or prudence with state resources.
It’s sad that all this is taking place at a time when Mr Hichilema himself and the UPND politicians currently serving in this government are becoming more and more richer whilst trying to cheat their way out by citing the economy as the main contributor to their inability to remunerate judges appropriately.
The biggest challenge with this government, and Mr Hichilema in particular, is that they don’t want to see the governance of this country in any other way than beyond deceit, lies and manipulation. They always want to do things out of political expediency, greediness and at the expense of their own citizens. When it suits him, Mr Hichilema blames the economy yet the same does not apply to him and those around him.
Yes, we know that the economy is biting and their fiscal policies have lamentably failed but let them not allocate state resources selectively. Everyone – the judiciary, police, civil, servants etc – deserves their fair share amidst the difficulties facing the country today. Politicians or the Executive cannot be so reckless and uncontrollable with expenditure, the way Mr Hichilema has shown with his endless presidential travels yet deny others a reasonable chance to state resources whenever they make demands.
The problem is Mr Hichilema is in a habit of unleashing lies and illogical excuses in order escape responsibility, and it’s this same strategy he is trying to apply in dealing with the remuneration and conditions of service of our judges, magistrates and other judicial service staff.
Mr Hichilema should not be allowed to deal with the remuneration and conditions of service for our judges, magistrates and other judicial staff in a manner that will reduce their independence and public confidence in the courts.
Without a doubt, our judges, magistrates and other judicial service staff remain critical to the governance of this country. These people render a very special and unique service to our homeland which makes them deserve a special and unique treatment.
We therefore call upon Mr Hichilema to stop the selfishness and immediately look into the remuneration and conditions of service of the judiciary. We cannot have a society where our judges, magistrates and other judicial services staff are put in a position of literally pleading with the Executive for a better pay and conditions of service.
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The judiciary is a respected and dignified arm of the state and Mr Hichilema must realise that the first step to effective, fair and efficient dispensation of justice is to ensure that those presiding over our court system are adequately remunerated and taken care of by the state.
This is how it should be and this is how organised and civilised societies strengthen institutions to ensure justice, equity and peace in society.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
