–President Ali says, commends local judiciary bodies for delivering systems that will endure time

PRESIDENT Dr Irfan Ali has underscored the importance of building strong institutions as the foundation of national development, praising the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Judiciary for their focus on long-term systems.
Speaking on institutional resilience, during the swearing in of Senior Counsel Rafiq Turhan Khan as a Justice of Appeal on Tuesday, the Head of State said, “Once we build strong, resilient systems, we will be able to build an architecture that can withstand every storm, and I want to compliment the office of the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the Judiciary for focusing heavily on system, because that is what we’ll all leave.”
President Ali emphasised that public officials are temporary, but the systems they establish endure beyond their time in office.
“All of us leave office, we leave the system, and the system is what ensures the survival of the product that we deliver,” he added.
While addressing the nation from the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACC) last week, President Ali said Guyana’s judiciary, which has upheld stability and the principles of good governance, is poised for a new era of consistent excellence, signalling a commitment to strengthening the country’s judicial system.
“My government welcomes the judiciary’s effort to ensure accountability by pursuing evidence-based data management across all levels of the court system.”
He noted that the government will introduce disposal and clearance rate standards, leveraging the use of technology for all court operations.
To this end, case management, human resources, maintenance of stores for the payment of maintenance, bail and fines electronically will be the main areas of focus over the next five years.
“This administration holds an unflinching commitment to the rule of law, to the sanctity of our legal institutions, and most of all, to you, the people of this land. Justice must work for the people of this land,” the President said.
In addition to this, legislative changes will be made to make judges, magistrates, as well as legal practitioners more accountable.
Further, the government will be launching the revised edition of the laws of Guyana, updated from 2012 to December 31, 2021. The government will be launching the law reports of Guyana from 2008 to 2021.
“These initiatives will make our laws easier, accessible and more user-friendly to all our citizens,” the president said.
President Ali also noted that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is expected to fill key vacancies in the High Court and Magistrate Court, increasing the complement of commissioners of title in support of their rendering of timely decisions, and appointing more judicial research assistants who will be integral.
This, according to President Ali, will all strengthen the capacity of the courts to deal with cases more efficiently.