Civil society highly commends former Chief Justice Twomey |13 October 2020

The civil society has commended the work of former Chief Justice Mathilda Twomey.

In two separate press releases, the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (Ceps) and the Association for Rights Information & Democracy (Arid) have given their reactions to the farewell speech made by Dr Twomey recently.

In its press release, Ceps notes that Dr Twomey’s speech contains “elements which resonate profoundly with principles held by civil society and it simultaneously highlighted areas where … civil society should be involved in as part of the efforts of national consultations, good governance, transparency and accountability”.

On the other hand, Arid has commended “all the various points expressed in the speech of the former CJ, Dr Twomey, and we support the process initiated by her in making the courts and judiciary in general more effective, accountable and professional”.

“Arid is proud of the achievements of the former CJ and also of her commendable efforts in working with the civil society,” notes the Arid press release.

The contents of the two press releases are as follows:

Ceps

The Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (Ceps) which represents civil society organisations in Seychelles welcomes the opportunity to comment on the speech made by the former Chief Justice Dr Mathilda Twomey upon her ceremonial farewell at the Palais de Justice.

The capacious and frank harangue contained elements which resonate profoundly with principles held by civil society and it simultaneously highlighted areas where (given its importance as a separate pillar) civil society should be involved in as part of the efforts of national consultations, good governance, transparency and accountability.

We greatly welcome the idea of a Judicial Services Committee – one led by the judiciary, civil society and other stakeholders for judicial appointments, performance and discipline. Such initiative is befitting of accountability and transparency. We understand that the judiciary, being a separate arm of government, has its own unique entities that differ from that of the executive and legislative. However, over the years, the judiciary have left an impression of mystery and inaccessibility. We often forget that the very institution, like the CJ rightly stated, is here to serve the people, uphold and defend the constitution. The manner in which judges are appointed needs to be more transparent.

The call to constitutionalism made us even more aware of the fact that despite of the annual celebration of our constitution, we still have a long way to go in regard to citizen education. The courts are underutilised when it comes to the ruling of cases concerning human rights and it was only in 2019 that the constitutional court saw a significant increase in the number of constitutional cases. In her speech, the CJ stated that people often ask why the courts do not investigate accusations of corruption among many other things. These anecdotes reveal that we still have a long way to go for people to understand the roles of the institutions, their mandates, the limits to their mandates and so on. The call to constitutionalism also sheds light on the selective use of the constitution only when it benefits personal interest. This should not be the case. For by doing so, we disrespect our constitution and put into question our own integrity as a nation. Despite our limitations, as civil society, we are cognizant of the role we can take in regard to citizen education and henceforth, we will do our part as much as we possibly can.

The fact that the courts are not used for public interest litigation – the question is why? How many people want to take the issue to Court e.g. our constitution says no discrimination on any grounds but LGBTI still do not enjoy the same rights as others. Why has no one brought a case yet? For one, the person who does bring a case has to has locus standi (i.e. has been affected) and then we need a lawyer willing to take the case. In other countries there are mechanisms in place to support public interest litigation – yes lawyers are very busy and such cases do not bring a good pay-day so there are groups of law students, junior lawyers who commit time to build the case with research, etc and then it is handed over to a lawyer to argue the case before a court. This is a missing element in our legal ecosystem which leaves people without access to justice as many times lawyers may not see this as worth it. On another note, it may not be the lawyers – and people are simply unwilling to be made the object of cases. Again, civil society groups have an opportunity whereby they can direct people to the right mechanisms and help them explore options that they have.

It came out very strongly that accountability should exist on all levels of government and none should be exempted no matter the status, affiliation or authority. The courts have the utmost responsibility to ensure that accountability is not used to penalise persons who are brave enough to whistle blow. Individuals and civil society groups alike should not be victimised for being responsible citizens! Part of responsible citizenry is in fact calling out perpetrators who threaten the very fabric and integrity of our democracy.

Ceps has always been a strong advocator of gender equality and we resonated deeply with the Chief Justice’s call to the dismantling of patriarchy. We believe firmly that under no circumstance should anyone be discriminated against based on their gender. We encourage more women and girls to take up positions which involve decision making and we urge our leaders and policy makers to come up with regulations that promote and not hinder the development of our women and girls in all spheres of society.

When it comes to the protection of the legitimacy of our judicial system, politics should not become an object of interference. It is crucial that at all costs our courts remain corrupt-free institutions in which our citizens can have trust. We should not allow our differences to create division in our country.

We understand the Chief Justice’s decision to step down from her role and we appreciate the fact that she would remain present in the Court of Appeal and as an educator at the University of Seychelles. In the era of the new normal, this gives opportunities for others to step in and provide fresh ideas/ innovations. We wish Dr MathildaTwomey all the best in her future endeavours and extend our profuse gratitude towards her, other judges and judicial staff who are devoted to their work. Ceps wishes to see more collaborations and strengthened partnership with the office of the future chief justice.

Arid

The rights to women empowerment and other human rights issues came out strongly in the farewell speech of former Chief Justice Mathilda Twomey and the Association for Rights Information & Democracy (Arid) being a civil society organisation advocating strongly for human rights and rights of migrant workers in our dearly beloved country, strongly support and welcome the remarks made by the former CJ in her speech.

The rights set out in our Bill of Rights which is backed by our constitution; the freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom to assemble and freedom to demonstrate peacefully plus other freedoms are enshrined in our constitution.  As much as we do agree that we have seen these freedoms practiced lately, people are still afraid to come forward to exercise these rights for fear of either losing their jobs, if they are working or may be the much-needed loan may not be approved and they are right in thinking that way because these challenges do exist in our society.

People should also understand that rights go hand in hand with responsibilities. It is important to know that the enjoyment of these rights has limits so as not to rob other members of the communities of their rights and liberties. In all we have to accept other people’s rights and privacy.  
Rights to peacefully assemble is recognised but restricted and limited in the same way as the freedom of speech. So too the freedom to associate.

Criticism for betterment

As stated in her speech, Dr Twomey has indeed done an excellent job during her tenure in office to move the judiciary to new heights. Anyone is entitled to criticise and comment about the work of the courts and such need to be welcomed for the improvement in the administration of justice as long as they are constructive.

Rule of Law

The rule of law is the foundation of a solid society. We must all accept it and be committed to it. No matter one’s position in life, no one is above the law. Dr Twomey has highlighted particular attention to the issue of rule of law. She has tried her very best to promote the concept and approach of equality before the law. As an NGO working in the human rights and democracy sector, Arid is particularly supportive of the way that Dr Twomey has and is pushing for equality before the law and protecting human rights and dignity.

Conclusion

In concluding, Arid commends all the various points expressed in the speech of the former CJ, Dr Twomey, and we support the process initiated by her in making the courts and judiciary in general more effective, accountable and professional. Arid is proud of the achievements of the former CJ and also of her commendable efforts in working with the civil society. Dr Twomey has demonstrated a high level of professionalism and meaningful engagement with the civil society without compromising her integrity. She has not only been a chief Justice but also a torch bearer for victims of injustices, abuse and a model for the aspiring future (women) magistrates and judges.

We wish her well and ‘bon courage’ in her future endeavours.

Press releases from Ceps/Arid