Muvi wa Chilungamo Revolutionary Party (MRP) president Bantu Saunders Jumah has promised that, if voted into power in the 2025 General Elections, his administration will not allow government branches to influence outcomes of court judgments.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday, Jumah observed a craving among branches of the government to influence the course of justice in matters that have been brought before the courts.
“This is wrong. The MRP government will not allow the courts to be influenced by other branches of the government when passing judgments,” he said.
Jumah was reacting to the standoff that has ensued in the National Assembly where Speaker of Parliament, Catherine Gotani Hara, refused to recognize Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) appointee Mary Navicha as Leader of Opposition because of a court order Kondwani Nankhumwa obtained before he was expelled from his sponsoring party.
The MRP leader said judicial independence is critical, as it protects the weak from the powerful; the minority from the majority and the poor from the rich.
He added that judicial independence protects excesses of government.
“Judicial independence is the concept that courts should not be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government, or from private or partisan interests. This is important for the proper functioning of a state based on democratic values,” said Jumah.
He further stated that judicial independence is a key component of social transformation and democratic consolidation.
