Times Of Swaziland: Gag order had side benefits

Gag order had side benefits
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The Editor on 19/07/2011 00:00:00


Sir,
Regarding the questionable order used to block Judge Ota’s story, I hold a
different view.
Firstly though, let me condemn the gag order, which I find very regrettable.
It was wrong as it denied some people their right to expression, and others
their right to know.
But, in truth and in all honesty, we cannot claim we don’t appreciate it;
especially when you delve into the heart of the matter as it played itself out
on that particular day.
Irresponsibly
The CJ had irresponsibly launched a barrage of allegations and unsubstantiated
accusations which were flying in all directions; to the extent that even an
innocent bystander was at risk of getting hurt.
Apparently, a lot of people, who weren’t the main target, such as the judge,
could’ve been caught in this unfortunate cross-fire.
It’s human nature for one to want to conceal an embarrassing episode to which
one was an accidental victim.
That the judge wept is not an embarrassing thing to me, or anyone with a heart.
We all wept on that particular day. We wept for the demise of justice in the
country, at the hands of one man.
We wept because the man-made judicial crisis was uncalled-for and totally
unnecessary.
Viability
We also wept because our country is in a precarious economic position and the
last thing we needed to see was a crisis that would make our financiers think
twice about the viability of Swaziland as a nation state.
If the CJ didn’t do what he did to Judge Thomas Masuku, there would have been
no suspicious gag orders issued to anyone, no protests by lawyers, no cases
struck off the roll and no loss of national reputation and pride.
For a learned judge to weep, it goes to show the extent of the chaos and
disgruntlement the CJ caused to this country and everyone, not least the
judicial officers themselves.
I condemn the gag orders again, but I condemn the actions of the CJ more than
anything else.
The Watcher
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Comments
I agree with your view. Too many people are getting hurt in this cross fire, and
more are yet to suffer including those whose cases were struck off the roll. The
CJ continues to make too many blunders of interference instead of managing the
situation for the better. Did he attend the same school as the PM? I see a huge
resemblance in their management styles.
Jul 19, 2011, 6:20 AM, Jubela B.L. Mkhize (juibt@gmail.org)