DOES CHIEF JUSTICE MALILA HAVE NO FRIENDS WHO CAN COAX HIM TO DO THE RIGHT THING?
There is nowhere left for Chief Justice Mumba Malila to hide and shirk his responsibility, after State Counsel Sakwiba Sikota laid bare a positive precedent set by former Chief Justice Matthew Ngulube for him to follow.
Wisdom has spoken through State Counsel Sikota on this particular matter, and Chief Justice Malila can no longer duck and dive to avoid confronting it.
The manner in which magistrates and judges have toyed with the cases involving the Patriotic Front (PF), suggests they have not understood their impact on Zambia’s democracy. Officers of the judiciary, working under Chief Justice Malila have left all matters taken to court by the PF to simply stagnate for two years, for the flimsiest of reasons.
And Chief Justice Malila continues with his routine duties as if there was nothing wrong with this conduct by judges and magistrates. Meanwhile, ordinary Zambians can tell that the cases involving various factions of the largest opposition party can be resolved easily because the party has a constitution which the courts can interpret so that the right people can lead and mobilise the party to play its part in the democratic contestation for political power.
As State Counsel Sikota says, ” Chief Justice Malila should have ensured that the judiciary quickly dealt with the PF cases and protect democracy, which has been put under threat as a result of alleged external interference.”
State Counsel Sikota’s words are very strong and appropriate:
“You cannot have a matter of a serious and biggest political organisation dragging on that long. This touches on the democracy of our country. To the outside world we are seen as a democratic state, but we are not.”
Mr Sikota observed that Chief Justice Malila should have put his foot down and claim his independence as GRZ 1 by ensuring that the PF cases were resolved as a matter of urgency but had instead neglected to do so.
It is not possible that Chief Justice Malila does not know there is a precedent set by one of his predecessors, Mr Matthew Ngulube, who had presided over matters every judge was scared to handle.
“What is happening at the judiciary is damaging the image of the Chief Justice Mumba Malila. Judges are now scared to take on certain cases. But there was a time when Judge Matthew Ngulube personally took on cases in the interest of Justice and in the public interest.”
Apart from the cases involving the PF, the Zambian Whistleblower would like Chief Justice Malila to take personal interest in the crusade by the United Party for National Development (UPND) government to systematically shrink democratic space for political opponents, and restrict individual liberties such as freedom of expression and opinion to reduce public criticism of Outgoing Dictator Hakainde Hichilema and his government. This is being done under the guise of fighting hate speech, sedition and criminal libel, with the collusion of his judicial presiding officers.
Zambians are crying out for the judiciary to defend their rights. But it seems currently, the only rights which matter to the judiciary, are those of members of the ruling party, and their supporters in compromised media and civil society organisations.
It is sad that even when aggrieved people take matters to court, if they are from opposition, they are not guaranteed a fair hearing, let alone justice.
The big question is why is Chief Justice Mumba Malila sitting with folded hands in the face of such blatant misconduct of open bias by magistrates and judges?
Is it that he is too afraid of offending Outgoing Dictator Hakainde Hichilema, after seeing how he has played his brutish hand in the makeover of the courts, including the Constitutional Court now made in his own image?
Come on Chief Justice Malila, it is not possible for you to continue hiding behind a finger!
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John 8:32 “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Goodnight.
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DOES CHIEF JUSTICE MALILA HAVE NO FRIENDS WHO CAN COAX HIM TO DO THE RIGHT THING?
