00:00 It's the ceremonial opening of the law tomb and things are a bit different this time around,
00:07 starting with the location, the National Academy of the Performing Arts.
00:12 Dignitaries having arrived, the day's proceedings start off with a church service as customary.
00:19 Reverend Claude Barclay, Bishop of Trinidad and Tobago, calls it a new season of justice in TNT
00:26 and not just for the judiciary.
00:29 Every time we offend against another, we court the injustice for ourselves.
00:35 That's the principle.
00:37 And the downward moral spiral is exacerbated.
00:45 I do not think our nation is in that place,
00:50 but we have to be careful that we do not slip easily.
00:55 For the day of reckoning, he says, will surely come.
00:59 The murder of children, the murder rate in itself,
01:06 the assault of the elderly, the violence against women,
01:12 and any misuse of the budgetary allocation for unfair gain
01:19 or misuse of administrative processes is an offense against the people.
01:27 Whoever engages in this matter will feel the full brunt of it.
01:34 Early in his address, Chief Justice Ivor Archie explains the reason for changing the venue.
01:40 The Hall of Justice.
01:42 The bench and bar have grown to the point where the Convocation Hall
01:46 can no longer accommodate the increased numbers.
01:50 So I have had to designate this building as a court for today.
01:54 His is usually the first sitting of the court for the term.
01:58 However, sittings began as early as Monday, Budget Day, October 2.
02:04 Chief Justice Archie acknowledges the public's concerns over crime.
02:09 There are also new challenges.
02:11 When we last convened in 2019, the murder toll was 520.
02:18 This year, like in 2022, we are on course to surpass 600.
02:26 Understandably, there is much anxiety, and in that atmosphere,
02:30 public calls for more accountability are not misplaced.
02:35 He says his address provides a rare opportunity to share the judiciary's vision
02:40 and progress and offer insight into the systemic impediments to optimal service delivery.
02:47 Much of the misunderstanding among the public and other stakeholders
02:51 arises from a failure to understand the unique role of the judiciary as a separate arm of state
02:58 and the constraints that are placed on us by the lack of autonomy
03:03 over staffing and financial management.
03:07 The CJ says these frustrations are common in ministries and departments within the public service,
03:13 but senior officers aren't able to speak as freely as he can.
03:18 The structural and systemic deficiencies are crushing all of us,
03:24 and the time has come for major public sector reform.
03:29 However, Archie makes it clear his statements aren't an attack on the government,
03:34 as he shares a good relationship with them,
03:37 having had what he describes as a cordial meeting with a cabinet subcommittee just last week.
03:43 The Chief Justice highlights the transferring of clerks out of the registrar's department
03:49 and the bringing in of untrained individuals without regard for fitness of office
03:55 simply because it was time for a promotion.
03:58 There are these consistent attempts to micromanage our recruitment,
04:04 and there is behavior that frustrates our attempts.
04:08 More troubling is that some of our contract employees are being offered comparable positions in other public bodies,
04:15 sometimes at as much as twice the salary package.
04:19 To make matters even worse,
04:22 there are instances where salaries and allowances already set are subsequently reduced,
04:28 which further impacts our ability to recruit and retain well-qualified and suited applicants.
04:35 He says the judiciary needs a mix of permanent and contract workers,
04:40 but the registrar's department ought to function as a department of its own.
04:46 There has been a consistent attempt to shoehorn us into the mold of the central civil service,
04:52 of which we should not be a part.
04:56 I am aware of the fact that some people get their backs up
05:01 when we remind them about the separation of powers and the fact that we are not a part of the government,
05:08 but there is a reason for that constitutional structure.
05:13 Recapping the past term, CJ Archie reports determination at the High Court for civil matters
05:19 were up to 3,575 compared to 2,872 in the previous term.
05:27 For criminal matters at the High Court, there was a 95% clearance rate.
05:33 But it would be the recently formed Family Court,
05:37 which he says provides an insight into the state of society.
05:41 There has been a significant increase in filings since the opening of the Family Court in Princeton in July of 2021.
05:50 Whereas previous filings were in the range of 5,500 or so per year,
05:56 in 2022-23, we had 9,051 new filings,
06:03 of which 3,173 were domestic violence.
06:09 2,992 were divorces and 1,766 were maintenance.
06:15 Clearly, we have a social problem that needs attending to.
06:20 Archie says while they have not been hitting targets,
06:24 especially for domestic violence matters which can be life and death,
06:28 it is a human resource issue which can be solved with more appropriately trained staff.
06:34 Memorial Square was eventually abuzz with activity as the Chief Justice spent some time
06:40 inspecting the Honor Guard before bringing the day's proceedings to a close.
06:45 Varshi Tamwari, Rupnur Ain, TV6 News.
06:48 News.
06:48 (upbeat music)
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