Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano would like to have the reasons for Presidential pardons made public, according to an interview he gave a newspaper.

I agree, of course. As he said, the system can be abused, and as we all know how flexible politicians’ morals can be, there can be no end to the abuses, seeing that the President of Malta is always a man who has been in politics.

But may I point out to the Chief Justice that he is the pot calling the kettle black. Could the Chief Justice please consider also making public the reason why jurors’ applications to be permanently exempt from service are turned down. Or at least inform the applicant of the reason why.

I made such an application, about four years ago, on medical grounds. Days, or maybe weeks later, I was told it was refused. But not why. I have served as a juror for over 28 years, I think. Certainly for over a quarter of a century. Today I am retired, but keep getting these calls from the courts to serve as a juror.

I do not want to be a juror any more. I have had enough of this tiresome service. It is not fair that once a name gets on the list, it is next to impossible to have it removed. I want an undisturbed retirement and going to court because I am ordered to, to be called the “Sinjur gurat”, certainly does not amount to that.

And I hate having court staff coming to knock on my door to hand over the tahrika, as if I am some criminal.

The Chief Justice runs an outdated, highly conservative institution, which needs a thorough going over. I have been called to serve as a juror again, to appear five times this month. When I got the tahrika (why don’t they use a more suitable word – surely it goes against the spirit of calling me the Sinjur Gurat?) I wrote to the Chief Justice, explaining why I should be permanently exempted, for various reasons, including the medical grounds I had cited some four years ago, and which still apply, even more seriously.

I took the letter personally to the court, to make sure it got there in time. First the court marshal told me to post it, which I refused to do, then, after consulting his superiors, he said I would have to make a rikors (I think that’s the word he used). I said I had made one before, and it took the form of a letter, and I was presenting such a letter. I could not go into the court building, even if I had wanted to, because I was wearing shorts that hot summer morning three or so weeks ago. And I was not prepared to go home, change into trousers, and drive down into Valletta again. I have had my fill of Valletta, having worked there for ages.

They refused to accept my letter, one of the reasons being that it had to be handwritten. Can you believe that – in this age of the computer, printers, and the internet, I was expected to write out, in free hand, a 550-word application to be exempted from jury service. I refused. The marshal said the Chief Justice would not even read my letter. I stood my ground and went away, leaving the letter with the court marshal.

I do not know what has happened to the letter, but the Chief Justice has not even acknowledged it, so I guess it has been thrown away. The Chief Justice had more serious business to attend to, including attending some conference abroad. How absolutely arrogant and inhuman of them, and how undeserving they are of the powers they have. When after all they are as human as we are, as we very well know from recent experience. I am sure the Chief Justice will know what I am getting at.

I guess this letter will give the heartless, arrogant court administration even more grounds to keep me on as a juror, even if only to spite me. Well, let them. Courts of Justice, indeed! It is more Courts of InJustice, to my way of thinking.

Roger Mifsud

Rabat