EDITORIAL: Lethargic law reform
There has been an increase in court cases challenging certain laws that are currently in place in Namibia, with some laws being pointed out by aggrieved citizens as not being in line with the societal needs of today.
Some of these include the court challenge for the removal of the notorious red line, the Squatters Proclamation Act, and the challenge for the sodomy law to be scrapped.
These laws have been in force since time immemorial; however, as time goes by, certain quarters of society are of the view that they do not represent the values and ideals of present-day Namibia.
Government, as the custodian and implementer of laws in the country, is seemingly in a catch-22 situation and is in most cases forced to defend archaic laws, which effectively pits government against the public as the public feels government is using old laws to suppress their demands.
However, government has itself to blame for the situation because it has dilly-dallied and, at times, shown indecisiveness when it comes to legal reforms.
Many pre-independence laws are still in place, although there is a general feeling that they are not in tandem with some provisions of the Namibian Constitution.
As always, the country has the required entities, such as the Law Reform and Development Commission, to look into these matters, but the lethargic manner in which it approaches its mandate leaves much to be desired.
Some of these include the court challenge for the removal of the notorious red line, the Squatters Proclamation Act, and the challenge for the sodomy law to be scrapped.
These laws have been in force since time immemorial; however, as time goes by, certain quarters of society are of the view that they do not represent the values and ideals of present-day Namibia.
Government, as the custodian and implementer of laws in the country, is seemingly in a catch-22 situation and is in most cases forced to defend archaic laws, which effectively pits government against the public as the public feels government is using old laws to suppress their demands.
However, government has itself to blame for the situation because it has dilly-dallied and, at times, shown indecisiveness when it comes to legal reforms.
Many pre-independence laws are still in place, although there is a general feeling that they are not in tandem with some provisions of the Namibian Constitution.
As always, the country has the required entities, such as the Law Reform and Development Commission, to look into these matters, but the lethargic manner in which it approaches its mandate leaves much to be desired.
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Namibian Sun
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