IT is the duty of every citizen to defend and uphold the integrity of the Judiciary while maintaining a high sense of confidence in the judges and other judicial officers.
The Judiciary should be the last wing of Government to be allowed to be ridiculed and disrespected by anyone because of the non-partisan and independent manner in which it discharges its duties.
From time immemorial, the Zambian courts have exhibited neutrality and have remained apolitical even at the height of political agitations in the country.
We, therefore, join President Edgar Lungu in promising to protect the integrity of the Judiciary in the country because, just like any other peace-loving citizens, we are duty-bound to do so.
The Judiciary should be considered sacred because of its role in upholding of rule of law.
Imagine a society without any form of judicial system; where would those who are aggrieved go for recourse?
Imagine what would happen if just for one day all the decisions by the courts were to be disregarded by everyone.
What would be the position of the weak, the poor and marginalised if there was no Judiciary?
Yes, it is the Judiciary which upholds equality before the law for all citizens, and non-citizens for that matter, regardless of sex, creed, religion, tribe, political and other persuasions.
For us, and indeed other law-abiding citizens, independence of the Judiciary is considered sacrosanct.
The Judiciary is supposed to be the embodiment of the citizens’ last hope when it comes to justice, and the Zambian Judiciary has lived up to that.
Since time immemorial, the judicial system in Zambia has been upholding justice and individual rights even when it meant ruling against the political power that has been.
For political cases, judges are always the darling of the winning parties while in the eyes of the losing parties, judges are always biased!
The history of Zambia’s justice system from the first to the current Republic is replete with instances in which the judges have ruled against the ruling parties and the Government but that is rarely highlighted, especially by the other side.
We are, however, happy to note this fact because in so doing, the Zambian Judiciary has shown that it can be and, in fact, should be trusted by all citizens to promote justice for all and the rule of law in the country.
Like in any contestation involving two or more parties, the outcome of the court cases would not be pleasant to both parties because there can only be one winner in a case.
What disheartens is the tendency by some political leaders to malign the courts for any decision which goes against those leaders and keep quiet whenever the verdicts go in their favour.
Leaders, like President Lungu has said, should be ready to defend the integrity of the Judiciary at all times as a way of retaining public confidence in this important wing of governance.
Whenever a person or indeed an institution is appearing before the courts of law, they should be ready for either  winning or losing a case.
We, therefore, call for sincere trust and respect for the courts for their decisions, especially in this period of electioneering.
Zambia owes the long years of peaceful co-existence among its people partly to the courts of law whose verdicts have calmed down tense situations whenever there has been a dispute.
We also know that, like in any other grouping, there could be a few corrupt elements among the judicial officers but, by and large, the Zambian Judiciary is above reproach because it has operated in an exemplary manner.