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Modify the magistracy
Jun 01, 2011 Letters
Dear Editor,
I had the displeasure of recently sitting a whole day in the Georgetown Magistrates’ court in Middle Street. I shall not mention the Court’s number but it was conducted by a woman who was loud, insensitive and authoritarian. What she did for the large majority of cases that came before her was to put them off, mostly for two weeks.
In any Law Reform, it must be prescribed that the magistrates dispense justice and not spend the Court’s and litigants’ time in carrying out peripheral administrative action of putting off cases. Such postponements unjustly torture persons who are remanded to the horrors of the Georgetown Prison and most importantly, clog up the entire judicial system to the point where it does not function.
There is a recent law compelling judges to give their decisions within three months after end-of —case. Could the same thing be done making it obligatory that magistrates be made to dispense justice and not to drag on cases?
And secondly, Law Reform should address the Police charging citizens for offences or misdemeanours that are Civil but for which criminal charges are instituted. The magistrates should forthwith dismiss such charges.
But either through ignorance or inertia they allow such charges to persist imposing injustice rather than justice.
If such blatantly incorrect charges are brought before the Police Complaints Commission, a thorough investigation must be carried out and the Police personnel who were responsible for such incorrect charges must be severely disciplined.
And there are other cases of misuse of Police authority which must be corrected if Guyana is to emerge once again as a civilized country.
Harold K. Jameson.
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