By S. Siapha Mulbah (Cub Reporter)
The Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) has joined the global Community in celebrating the International Law Day as a means to promote the rule of law and enhance the effectiveness of lawyers.
International Law Day is a day that was first celebrated on May 1, 1958 by the American Bar Association to honor the rule of law in the creation of America and since the US government made the proclamation, said day is announced through proclamation by governments except for Liberia which has not done such through the past and current Presidents.
Making remarks, LNBA president, Sylvester Rennie said the essence of the day is to call on all legal practitioners around the world to convene in commemoration of their role played in ensuring that the rule of law prevails in every spectrum of life as they move through the year and as the day is observed on May 1 of each year.
Observing this year’s Law Day under the theme; “Advancing the rule of law through decent work and access to Justice and accountability” he stressed that the rule of law in every country is a gateway to peaceful coexistence among the people which the Bar remains firm.
The day was first celebrated in Liberia in 2006 and had since been observed in the first week of every May and this year it was celebrated on May 6 with a grand March from the ground of the Temple of Justice to the Monrovia City Hall where the official ceremony was conducted with complementary remarks from guests invited and the ceremony concluded with the regular Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for lawyers as a way to abreast them more about access to basic issues.
The keynote speaker, former Supreme Court Chief Justice, Frances Johnson Allison, like other speakers emphasized the importance of the rule of law in the country calling on the government to make proclamation to Law Day celebration every other coming year.
According to her, without the rule of law, the peace and democracy of the country would be undermined stating scenarios like rich people escaping consequences of violations in exchange of bribery, government taking citizens’ properties without giving them their just compensation and lawlessness, among others.
The veteran lawyer testified that the rule of law is not doing well in Liberia because some impediments continue to stand to the way of access to justice like the instance of using country devil in electoral processes, the mysterious killings of people without account made by the state and others.
“The rule of law matters because it seems to treat all persons fairly and equally. The rule of law is the fundamental principle of democracy,” she stated; urging citizens to be rule by the best law rather than a best leader.