Reforming an important pillar of governance

His Majesty King Abdullah’s appointment of a high-level panel, headed by former prime minister Zeid Rifai, to reform the judiciary came after he issued the sixth discussion paper, which touched mainly on the rule of law.

The King said in the paper that “the judiciary has been a top priority and at the centre of our policies” ever since he assumed his constitutional duties, because “the judiciary plays a key role in protecting rights, serving justice and defending freedoms”.

Given the prominence the King gave to the rule of law, justice, and independence and efficiency of the judiciary in his just released discussion paper, forming the team to reform this branch of government comes as a normal extension.

A prominent feature of good governance is an independent judicial system served by efficient courts and highly qualified judges of the highest moral standing.

The committee formed for this purpose will meet plenty of challenges, no doubt.

Its members will have to report back to the King within four months and present the measures they will be taking to implement the King’s directives.

An important task will be to identify the bottlenecks in the judiciary and why it takes at times too long to render judgements.

Equally urgent is how to elevate the level of judges and ensure that they are competent.

Courtrooms might need to come under scrutiny as well, to make sure they are properly furnished and that decorum is compatible with the regard these places are held in.

Not least, smoking, by lawyers themselves or by visitors, should be strictly forbidden.

The absence on modern technology from courts slows down the pace of judicial hearing and rendering of judgement.

The list of improvements needed to upgrade the judiciary will probably contain quite a few things that those in the domain could easily point out, but the committee formed by the King will no doubt be capable of identifying all the shortcomings and needs, and work to address them.

“A country’s ability to progress and prosper depends on the independence of its judiciary, its efficiency and ability to function,” said the King.

The panel will hopefully see to this.