Je, Uamuzi wa Kutumia Kiswahili Mahakamani Unatosha Kuleta Haki?
Abstract
Ikisiri
Makala haya ni mwitikio kwa Serikali ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania
kuonyesha kukijali zaidi Kiswahili na hatimaye Bunge kupitisha Mswada wa
Marekebisho ya Sheria Mbalimbali wa Mwaka 2021 kukifanya Kiswahili kiwe
lugha ya sheria na maswala yote yahusianayo na utoaji wa haki nchini. Mbali
na kupongeza upandishaji ngazi Kiswahili, makala haya hujaribu kusema
kwamba kukipandisha Kiswahili peke yake hakutapunguza ugumu wa lugha
ya sheria, na hakutatufikisha kwenye hatua ya muhimu zaidi, mgawanyo sawa
wa rasilimali lugha kati ya wakili na shahidi wakati wa mahojiano-bomozi.
Makala haya yanapendekeza mapitio ya tafsiri zilizokwishafanywa kwa
kuzingatia kwamba tafsiri za kisheria ni tofauti na nyinginezo; ianzishwe
kampeni ya lugha rahisi ya kisheria kwenye makala yote ya kisheria; itafutwe
njia ya kulainisha mahusiano kati ya sheria, haki na jamii au umma wa
Watanzania. Mwisho, makala haya hupendekeza mfumo wa sheria wa
advesaria utazamwe karibu pamoja na ule wa inkwizitoria ili kuona jinsi
inavyoweza kupatikana njia nzuri ya kutoa au kuchukua ushahidi ambayo
itazingatia mgawanyo wa rasilimali lugha.
Dhana za msingi: Advesaria, haki, inkwizitoria, Kiswahili, mahakama, sheria,
Tanzania
Abstract
This paper is a follow up to the Government of Tanzania’s
recognition of Kiswahili and the ensuing Written Laws
Miscellaneous Amendment Act of 2021 to declare Kiswahili as the
language of laws in the country and the language to be used in
administration and the dispensation of justice. While acknowledging
the importance of the declaration, this paper argues that this
declaration alone will not make legal language any less difficult, and
will not get us to the equitable distribution of discourse resources
between councel and witnesses at cross-examination, which is a more
pressing problem. The paper suggests a review of the legal
translation of the already ‘translated’ documents, mounting a serious
plain legal language campaign for the judiciary; making the relations
between the law, justice and the Tanzanian public more cordial; and
lastly, the paper suggests a closer look at the Adversarial Judicial
System together with some elements of the Inquisitorial Judicial
System to bring the equitable distribution of discourse resources
during the evidence stage.
Full Text:
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