THE JUDICIARY CLOSED FOR POLITICAL REASONS – HERE IS WHY
By Kellys Kaunda
THE JUDICIARY CLOSED FOR POLITICAL REASONS – HERE IS WHY
Here is the standard practice when a public building offering a public service faces an emergency – it puts up a public notice indicating alternative ways by which essential services may be rendered.
In Berlin, when we shut the embassy doors at the height of the pandemic, we provided alternative means by which the public could reach us.
My mobile line and my private email became the alternative forms of contact. Consequently, we were able to assist several people needing assistance during the time.
Embassies of every country do the same. Some even provide numbers that could be reached outside working hours. That’s called public service.
In other words, when there’s an emergency, public officials must remain accessible 24/7. When there’s an election, the courts and its officials must remain accessible 24/7 because petitions are expected. It’s normal.
Imagine ECZ closing its offices on election day when it’s supposed to be managing the electoral process!
If that sounds ridiculous, it’s because it is. And that’s exactly how the decision by the judiciary to close court premises on the day the petition was likely to be filed sounded.
In the public interest, the courts should have said, ‘knowing that this is an election season when petitions are filed, please use the following alternative means of filing the necessary documents and the emergency lines you may call in case you need to speak to someone”
In any case, it’s not as if the judiciary couldn’t do this. After all, I hear that sometimes judges have been followed home or to their golf courses to sign injunctions!
The judiciary is insulting our collective wisdom as Zambians. My word of advice is this: next time you agree to carry out an ‘Italian’ job for your masters, think through the strategy anticipating all possible reactions.
Now, you have just made judicial history for all the wrong reasons. Next time you hear members of the public questioning your independence, remember this: you brought it upon yourselves.