Law should reflect what’s important to your society: Prof Henaghan

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

(Second from right) Professor Mark Henaghan with the Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer, New Zealand High Commissioner to Solomon Islands and Judges at the High Court Chamber.

THE Dean of Law of the University of Otago New Zealand Professor Mark Henaghan says that Law should reflect what is important to the society.

Speaking to local journalists earlier this week at the High Court, Henaghan said it is important for the lawyers and judges to listen to the people and say what is not working and what is working in the legal system.

“Are we doing things good or badly it is important for the lawyers to open their minds to the people because the Legal system is only as good as how the people accept it if the people reject it then we do not have any rule of law,” he said.

He said legal system is a system working for the people and not for lawyers and not for judges this is a system for the people to resolve their dispute.

“Anyone out there in the streets will say if something happens I expect the legal system to work for me if it does not work then everyone loses faith in that and then we do not have any law to resolve disputes,” he said.

He also said that everyone in the society has to question the legal system and it is a healthy thing to do that.

Henaghan is currently in the country conducting training for judges, magistrates and lawyers on how they can effectively play their role in delivering their services to the people of Solomon Islands.

The training was made possible by the New Zealand Government who funded Professor Henaghan to come here and conduct the trainings.

He said this training for the justice system for the judges and lawyers of the Solomon Islands and for them to be best lawyers and judges for the Solomon Islands people.

The three-day training completed on Wednesday.

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