This was our Opinion in February 2008, regarding Acting CJ Gates appointing appeals judges when their legitimacy was before the courts and links to opinion articles at the time.
Court of Appeal Appointments are Anti youth and Anti feminist
The Young Peoples Concerned Network is disappointed with the actions of the Interim Government and the Acting Chief Justice in appointing appeals judges when their legitimacy (the offices of acting CJ and Interim AG) are in question and issues before the courts.
It is our view that the whole panel of appeals judges although experienced in their own right are opportunists and puppets of the state. They carry with them into the highest court in the nation questionable agendas. Their Gender, Race, and Age are irrelevant and do not change the fact that they their appointments are illegal and unconstitutional.
The whole panel of Appeals Judges refused to renew and revoked their contracts after examining the conditions of illegality and the level of interference within the judiciary.
The appointments to the bench of Fiji’s youngest appeals judges, first women judges, and also the first Indigenous Fijian Judge is a shame to the work of youth, women’s rights and indigenous rights activists.
We are embarrassed that this government has the nerve to even play the gender, race and age card to win support. Important cases that will be heard in the appeals court (that surround the area of the rule of law and alleged sedition) are in danger of been affected by bias and heard in illegal court proceedings.
We make a humble request to all judges of the appeals court that if they care about the rule of law and the reputation of the judiciary, that they step down and do not carry on with any more illegal appointments.