What do we talk about when we talk about the rule of law? Issues of security, accountability, and justice—to name but a few—affect people from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. As we scan global media for rule-of-law-focused news, we sometimes find WJP referenced in these important stories and debates. Following are recent mentions that caught our attention:
On December 3rd, a much debated electronic highway tolling system went live in the province of Gauteng, South Africa. In an article in South Africa’s Business Day, Paul Hoffman cites WJP and the Rule of Law Index in discussing the constitutionality of the e-tolling policy. In this op-ed, Hoffman argues that the e-tolling system goes against WJP’s definition of the rule of law due to the government’s lack of consultation with and buy-in from the public.
On December 3rd, Transparency International released its 2013 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) which uses the WJP Rule of Law Index as one of the 13 international surveys upon which it bases its data. This article in the Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star discusses the countries performance in terms of corruption based on the CPI.
On December 9th, Mexican reporter Denise Dresser wrote this op-ed which translates as “There was no time” in which she discusses a new National Code of Criminal Procedure that was recently passed in Mexico. In the article, Dresser explains how the Senate claimed “there was no time” to make crucial changes to improve the code. She argues that the code will be ineffective and will simply perpetuate practices that put Mexico in 91st of 97 countries in terms of the quality of the criminal justice system, according to WJP’s Rule of Law Index.
On December 12th, Designate Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani took his oath of office, as covered in the Pakistani newspaper AAJ News. As the article mentions, Jillani is an Honorary Chair of the World Justice Project.
This month, WJP was featured in the Professional Convention Management Association’s magazine, Convene. In this magazine article, Executive Editor Christopher Durso highlights the World Justice Forum at which he was an attendee. The article discusses the Forum from an event planning perspective and what an international conference built around the rule of law looks like.
We also paused last week to remember Nelson Mandela, the first post-Apartheid president of South Africa, who passed away on December 5th. Our CEO William Neukom wrote a memoriam for him on our blog and our board member Mondli Makhanya, Editor at Large of the South African paper City Press, wrote the article “Madiba: To swim against powerful tides” which we have shared on our blog. In July, WJP had dedicated our World Justice Forum IV to Mandela and his death held great significance for all of us. Once a survivor, then a champion, and now a beacon of the rule of law. Rest in peace, Madiba.