The country’s judiciary has its own problems and challenges and should learn from neighbouring countries to overcome them.
Opposition Leader, Don Polye said this while welcoming chief justices and judges from the Pacific to PNG for Pacific Judiciary Conference.
PNG’s judiciary must now learn from both Australia and New Zealand and even smaller island states to deal with these challenges confronting our judiciary system.
Challenges such as having to deal with backlog of court cases and maintaining the independence of judiciary amid threats of political interference is most common in the PNG Judiciary system.
“As much as smaller island countries wants to learn from PNG, we must also pay close attention to learn from them as there may be lessons and inputs which may help improve our country’s judiciary system,” said Polye.
“The country’s judiciary system is most probably the only avenue left for our citizens to seek justice and it must be defended and protected at all times. The same cannot be said to many of our constitutional offices as they have been compromised,” said Polye.
“The recent being the error by the Public Prosecutor requesting the Ombudsman Commission for additional evidence against the Prime Minister where the Public Prosecutor whose roles and function is either to prosecute or decline it. The PM got off the hook as a result of the deliberate error by the Public Prosecutor,” said Polye.
Polye when welcoming the Pacific island judges urged them to also enjoy PNG’s hospitality and the uniqueness of PNG’s cultural diversity.