The administration of justice and education of the citizenry are two vital elements of national development, Fort Charlotte Member of Parliament Alfred Sears said Tuesday while noting the “appreciable” increase in the allocation of funds to his dual portfolio ministry for the coming fiscal year.
Making his contribution to the 2004/2005 budgetary debate, the Attorney General and Education Minister highlighted the increasing demands that have been placed on the judicial system over the past two decades.
“The rule of law is a central and essential core principle of any democratic society,” he said.
“It is essential for an ordered society in which civil liberties guaranteed by our Constitution are enforced by an independent and impartial judiciary. The rule of law is also necessary in maintaining the confidence of our visitors and investors that should a dispute or legal matter arise in The Bahamas there will be a fair and impartial resolution to the matter.”
Pointing out some of the enhancements that have been undertaken to improve the administration of justice Mr. Sears said authorities would utilise a multi-faceted programme integrating technology, policy changes and additional human resources.
“To improve the efficiency of the administration of justice and the speedy disposition of cases, The Bahamas Integrated Justice Information System (BIJIS) was commenced in 1991 and has now been installed in contract with IBM Bahamas.
“The software has been installed in the Supreme Courts, the Magistrates’ Courts, the office of the Attorney General, and the probation department of the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development. This system will allow for effective cooperation amongst all of the justice partners so that we can very quickly and very easily retrieve information.”
Disclosing plans to upgrade the court system’s physical facilities Mr. Sears said although ground has not yet been broken for the long-awaited judicial complex, which will house the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, authorities are confident that progress will be made toward establishing that facility during the coming fiscal year.
Construction of the Magistrates’ Courts complex, meanwhile, is set to begin during the 2004/2005 budget year. Contractors should be invited to bid for the project, the Attorney General said, in the next several weeks.
He also noted that because of the delay in construction of the judicial complex the government has had to lease additional premises in the British American Insurance House to accommodate two courtrooms for the Supreme Court, two justice’s chambers, a sub registry and a registrar’s office.
In addition to accommodating a new commercial courtroom for the Supreme Court the leased space would also be used to house the new chambers of the chief justice.
“This move will enable us to launch for the first time in our history a commercial division of the Supreme Court of The Bahamas,” he pointed out.
Additionally, the Coroner’s Court will be relocated to premises on East Street north, while the Magistrates’ Courts one and five, currently on Bank Lane, will be relocated once premises are secured.
Turning to the other arm of his Cabinet responsibility, Mr. Sears pointed out that personal emoluments proposed for Department of Education personnel in the coming fiscal year have been increased by $12.6 million over the previous year’s level.
“Thirty years ago The Bahamas recognised that education would be the principal tool by which it would transform itself from a dependency to a sovereign nation,” he said.
“The development of The Bahamas since Independence has confirmed to us that our decision to invest heavily in the provision of universal primary and secondary education was the correct one. Education has fostered social cohesion, deepened our democracy and provided the scientific and technical skills required for our progress.”
Darrin Culmer, The Bahama Journal
