Don’t pack judiciary with Commonwealth ‘Tom and Dick’

OPPOSITION Senator Gerald Ramdeen says this country should not put “pack” the local judiciary with lawyers from the Commonwealth. He was contributing to debate on the Miscellaneous Provisions (Supreme Court of Judicature and Children) Bill in the Senate on Thursday.

He said because people were imprisoned for 17 years and 20 years “means we must pack the Judiciary with every Tom, Dick and whoever else we could find in the Commonwealth and put them in the Judiciary. How you can ask us to do that?” Ramdeen said the legislation was looking at adding judges but the administration of justice and public confidence was at its lowest ever. He added whether this was due to the government of the day it did not matter.

Ramdeen pointed out there was a court matter involving the Chief Justice, allegations against serious office holders and the Law Association had set up a committee to look at the appointment of judicial officers.

“How could anyone, or any right thinking government, could come to the Parliament at this point in time and tell the country that we are going to increase the number of high court judges by 15 and engage that same process I have outlined?”

Ramdeen said he was disappointed the Attorney General would bring amendments at this point in time to appoint more judges. He said the Opposition will not sacrifice the Constitution, the rule of law and the rights of citizens on the altar of expediency at any time.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said the bill proposes Government will increase the Judiciary by 77 per cent and propose to move up to 64 High Court judges and change the limit under the Supreme Court Judicature Act up from 36. He said Government also proposes to increase the judicial complement in the Court of Appeal from 12 to 15 and also allow for the appointment of a wider pool by allowing lawyers from Commonwealth to eligible for consideration by the Judicial Legal and Service Commission.

Al-Rawi said this was not uncommon in the Commonwealth and several locals, including Law Association President Douglas Mendes, SC, sit quite often as a judge in Belize. He added many locals sit in the Turks and Caicos and across the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Caribbean as judges.