Campaigners Criticise Transfer of Powers Law ChangesSupreme Court Judges and Peers of the Realm Will Now Be Selected By The Prefect Following Constitutional Reform. Senior Judge and conservative hardliner Krly Skronores who is likely to be one of the Prefect's recommendations for a seat on the Supreme Court. December 4470 - Civil rights campaigners and arch-monarchists alike have rounded on the
Z-MJP government for proposing two pieces of legislation that place the power to make key legal and noble appointments into the hands of the Prefect.
Grand Councillors are currently voting on the
Hereditary and Life Peerages Act, which transfers the ability to confer titles of nobility from the Monarch to a committee chaired by the Prefect. All recommendations for either hereditary or lifelong titles must then be voted upon by the Grand Council. But under the current administration, where no opposition parties exist, it would seem any decisions would simply be passed "on the nod".
Royalists have claimed it is an attempt to further undermine the rights and responsibilities of the Banmek-Sntazed monarchy which have been eroded over time. But Prefect Duke Kspar Nohsrmko Zhtál responded by saying the days of the King or Queen holding the mantle of "Fount of Honour" were long over and that the new law was "more compatible with Vanuku's parliamentary democracy and semi-constitutional monarchy".
A second bill called
The Supreme Court and Appointment of Justices Act has also been heavily criticised in some quarters. If passed, which looks almost certain, it will make constitutional changes to the way Supreme Court Justices are chosen. In the past, the highest judges in the land, who are able to carry out judicial reviews into primary and secondary pieces of legislation as well as have the final say on appealed criminal and civil cases, were recommended by an independent body of their peers and senior civil servants in the Justice Department and then approved by the Grand Council and the Monarch.
Now the decision to nominate all six Supreme Court Justices, who serve a 25 year term in office once appointed, will be the sole responsibility of the Prefect. Again, even though the recommendations must be passed by the Grand Council, it is difficult to see opposition to the Prefect's choices during the course of this administration.
The situation has been made worse as Duke Zhtál is thought to favour conservative candidates - including long-serving senior judge Krly Skronores, who has a reputation for being a staunch hardliner on civil rights and matters of morality. Many campaigners have said that, at the very least, there should be a national referendum on the changes; however, the call for a people's vote was robustly rebuked by the government.
Justice Minister Ask'r Jebrnsme Tobrak said: "There is simply no need for a referendum on this matter. The Prefect and the Z-MJP were given a clear mandate to make these kind of decisions at the last election; the people have already spoken."
But Chaz'tr Vrnkez, Spokesman for the Vanuku Means Democracy Movement, was scathing. He said: "That response by the justice minister is a total fudge - these fundamental law change proposals were not highlighted in the Z-MJP's election manifesto, they are totally out of the blue and the people should have a say on them.
"With these two pieces of legislation the appointment of some of the most senior figures and most important decision makers in the land is now controlled by the Prefect.
"The ability to recommend who is going to be a peer is basically down to the Duke now and that means he has dealt himself a huge hand in influencing the elite members of society. And in a country where the elite still have the bulk of the power, wealth and influence - despite so-called government reforms - it is even more a matter for concern.
"Arguably even more worrying is that all the top judges of this land will be selected by him too. This makes the process extremely politically biased and this will have ramifications for legislation, executive orders and provincial government decision making.
"For instance, it is very unlikely that the Supreme Court Justices appointed by him are going to turn around and block one of his executive orders on the grounds he has overstepped his authority or that legislation he backs in the Grand Council is unconstitutional.
"And don't forget once appointed these judges are going to be in place for a quarter of a century before there is any change, so this is going to have ramifications for several future administrations and generations of Vanukeans too."