More money, more magistrates, and spanking new buildings will not clear up the backlog of cases in the magistrate courts.Instead, bringing an end to this perennial headache calls for greater dedication and speedier determination of cases at the primary level of the justice system in T&T.
This is the advice from attorney Edwin K Roopnarine who celebrated his golden anniversary as a legal practitioner in June.
Speaking from his Harris Street, San Fernando, chambers, an affable Roopnarine said that his half-a-century journey in the hallowed halls of the system has left him concerned about the state of this country's judicial operations. Nevertheless, he enjoyed and is still enjoying every moment of the ride."I would not change it for anything else in the world. My journey has been challenging but it is an extremely fulfilling event," he confessed.
Roopnarine, who steadfastly refuses to reveal his age but looks and acts like a 60-something year old, was born in Debe, attended the district's CM School, St Paul's EC in Les Efforts, and became a school teacher before being attracted to the legal profession. He left these shores to pursue his ambition in London, via Genoa, Italy, by boat.
After qualifying at the Middle Temple, Roopnarine, who said he respects everyone from judge to janitor, is firm in his conviction about what is required to clear up the blacklog of cases in the magistrate courts.Is the perennial criticism over what some would say is the appalling slow delivery of justice justified?
Unhesitatingly, he responded: "Yes. Sometimes it is justified and what is needed in the magistrate court is the speedier determination of cases because most of these offences are minor in nature."They are not being dealt with as quickly as they should and you may ask what the cause is."I am not the one to pontificate on that, but I can only make observation and it means we do not need more magistrates. That is not the answer as far as I am concerned.
"We do not need more buildings or more money. What you need is more dedication in clearing the list and insisting that matters when they are fixed to go up, they should go up."Justice must be seen there firstly, if we are going to have a society that believes in law and order and when we strengthen down there we can strengthen the top."
This situation he argues can be remedied and it can be easily solved. What about the claim over the years that there was one law for the rich and another for the poor?Roopnarine, who has two sons who are attorneys and one who is a medical doctor, said: "I have appeared before almost every civil court judge since 1975, and I have found that they have all been very fair, concise and forthright in their deliberations and rulings.
"But at the end of the day, every judge is looking at delivering justice in a fair manner and are guided strictly by the law, and I can honestly say that their decisions have been prudent and justifiable. Of course, you will find that even if their matters have been appealed it is the right of attorneys to seek the best for their clients.
"I, however, feel that we can be proud of the work done by our judges because apart from honouring the principles of their job, they are acutely aware that we live under the rule of law and any attempt to do otherwise is not being truthful to our democratic way of life."Roopnarine nevertheless is happy with the many other changes in the profession since he was called to bar.