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The Free Market Foundation (FMF) extends its congratulations to Martin van Staden, FMF Head of Policy since June 2023, for placing first (ex aequo) for the 16th International Vernon Smith Prize for his paper, ‘Rule of Law: The Universal Unwritten Constitution.’
Van Staden received the award yesterday, 19 February, from His Serene Highness Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein at a special ceremony held at the Princely Wine Cellars in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
The prize was awarded on the recommendation of an international panel of judges, and is bestowed by the European Center for Austrian Economics Foundation.
‘This award is a fitting acknowledgment of Martin’s legal scholarship, which underscores the vital importance of the Rule of Law in a free society,’ said David Ansara, CEO of the FMF.
‘We are fortunate to have somebody of Martin’s intellect and industry leading the Free Market Foundation’s policy and advocacy initiatives. I am immensely proud of Martin for his achievement,’ Ansara concluded.
Rule of Law
In the paper, Van Staden argues that for the idea of the ‘rule of law’ and the associated idea of ‘constitutionalism’ to make sense, the institution of ‘law’ needs to be recognised as something separate from the ‘legislation’ made by politicians.
The advent of constitutionalism was a ‘revolution in jurisprudence that is inherently entwined with classical liberalism,’ writes Van Staden, and it ‘stands on two interrelated legs.’ The first leg is ‘the core directive of the state [to] protect the inherent liberty of legal subjects. The second leg – wherein the seeds of the Rule of Law lie – is that the state may not act capriciously, whimsically, or arbitrarily, but reasonably, and only through law.’
The rule of law is a ‘universal’ phenomenon, argues Van Staden, because:
‘A law anywhere is a rule that is binding, and to not adhere to it is regarded everywhere as worthy of punishment. Here enters the Rule of Law: For that legal rule to be binding, people must know about it, and more than that, they must be capable of understanding it fully, and must be capable of complying with it. If these requirements are not met, that rule is not law, as it defies logic and causality (not merely fairness or justice) to expect obedience under such circumstances. Indeed, there is nothing “Western” about the expectation that a binding law must be known to those who are expected to comply with it.’
The rule of law is incompatible with both dictatorship (the rule of man) and with unqualified democracy (the rule of many men). Instead, there is only rule of law ‘where the law is recognised as an extra-political phenomenon’ that ‘governs the state itself.’ The rule of law is concerned with ‘how precisely the state may exercise its limited power [and] comprises various requirements about the content of law, the making of law, and the application of law in practice.’
Van Staden ventures a definition of the rule of law – something that scholars have long struggled to do – as ‘the legal institution that regulates or attempts to eliminate state arbitrariness.’
Terminology is crucial when dealing with constitutional topics like the rule of law, argues Van Staden, because even ‘the arbitrary whims of man can and very often do manifest themselves in law, be it in legislation or in the case law of judicial pronouncements. Judged from the perspective of the Rule of Law, these manifestations are of the “rule of man.” This is why it is important to distinguish between the notion of “the law” on the one hand, and mere “laws” on the other.’
Were the real rule of law truly to be respected, with all the strict requirements it places on the state, Van Staden argues that government would be limited to guaranteeing only ‘basic justice’ in society and would not be able to implement and enforce any one of the many substantive conceptions of justice that differ from person to person and group to group.
Enforcing substantive justice yields injustice and oppression, because it expects people to act against their own consciences. It is only the enforcement of basic justice that holds the key to liberty.
A great honour
‘It is a great honour to be recognised for my work around the rule of law by the European Center for Austrian Economics Foundation,’ said Van Staden, from Zürich, Switzerland.
‘If South Africa only acknowledged the benefits of a government more substantially restrained by legal principle, like in strongly federalist and constitutionalist Switzerland, our socio-economy would not be in the dire state it finds itself today.’
Van Staden is also the author of the book, The Constitution and the Rule of Law: An Introduction, published by the FMF in 2019.
The International Vernon Smith Prize was established in 2008 by the European Center for Austrian Economics Foundation for the advancement of the Austrian school of economics. The essay competition is named after Professor Vernon Lomax Smith, who shared the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Daniel Kahneman.
Read Van Staden’s full paper here: ‘Rule of Law: The Universal Unwritten Constitution.’
Ends.
Press enquiries
Anneke Burns
FMF Publicist
0714230079 | press@fmfsa.org
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Die Vryemarkstigting wens sy Beleidshoof geluk oor toekenning van oppergesag-van-die-reg prys
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Die Vryemarkstigting (FMF) wens Martin van Staden, FMF Beleidshoof sedert Junie 2023, geluk met die toekenning van eerste plek (ex aequo) vir die 16de Internasionale Vernon Smith-prys vir sy referaat, ‘Rule of Law: The Universal Unwritten Constitution.’
Van Staden het die prys gister, 19 Februarie, ontvang van Sy Serene Hoogheid Prins Philipp van Liechtenstein tydens ‘n spesiale seremonie gehou by die Prinselike Wynkelders in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
Die prys is toegeken op aanbeveling van ‘n internasionale paneel van beoordelaars, namens die European Center for Austrian Economics Foundation.
‘Die toekenning is ‘n gepaste erkenning van Martin se regsgeleerdheid, wat die groot belang van die Oppergesag van die Reg vir ‘n vrye samelewing beklemtoon,’ sê David Ansara, uitvoerende hoof van die FMF.
‘Ons is bevoorreg om iemand soos Martin te hê, met sy intellek en toewyding, wat die Vryemarkstigting se beleidsinisiatiewe bestuur. Ek is immens trots op Martin vir sy prestasie,’ sluit Ansara af.
Oppergesag van die Reg
In die referaat argumenteer Van Staden dat vir die idee van die ‘oppergesag van die reg’ en die geassosieerde idee van ‘konstitusionalisme’ om sinvol te wees, moet die instelling van ‘reg’ erken word as iets apart van die ‘wetgewing’ wat deur politici gemaak word.
Die aanvang van konstitusionalisme was ‘n ‘revolusie in die regsfilosofie wat inherent verweef is met klassieke liberalisme,’ skryf Van Staden, en dit ‘staan op twee onderling verbonde bene.’ Die eerste been is ‘die kernopdrag van die staat om die inherente vryheid van regsubjekte te beskerm. Die tweede been – waarin die saad van die Oppergesag van die Reg lê – is dat die staat nie willekeurig, grillig, of arbitrêr mag optree nie, maar redelik, en slegs deur middel van die reg.’
Die oppergesag van die reg is ‘n ‘universele’ verskynsel, meen Van Staden, omdat:
‘Enige regsreel is ‘n reel wat bindend is, en om dit nie na te kom nie, word oral as strafwaardig beskou. Hier kom die Oppergesag van die Reg in: Om daardie regsreel bindend te maak, moet mense daarvan bewus wees, en meer as dit, hulle moet daartoe in staat wees om dit ten volle te kan verstaan, en moet daartoe in staat wees om dit na te kan kom. As hierdie vereistes nie voldoen word nie, is daardie reel nie reg nie, omdat dit logika en oorsaaklikheid trotseer (nie net billikheid of regverdigheid nie) om gehoorsaamheid onder sulke omstandighede te verwag. Daar is inderdaad niks “Westers” aan die verwagting dat ‘n bindende regsreel bekend moet wees aan diegene wat daaraan moet voldoen nie.’
Die oppergesag van die reg is onverenigbaar met beide diktatorskap (die heerskappy van die mens) en met ongekwalifiseerde demokrasie (die heerskappy van baie mense). Daar is slegs oppergesag van die reg ‘waar die reg erken word as ‘n ekstra-politiese verskynsel’ wat ‘die staat self regeer.’ Die oppergesag van die reg hou verband met ‘hoe presies die staat sy beperkte mag mag uitoefen [en] bestaan uit verskeie vereistes oor die inhoud, totstandkoming, en die toepassing van regsreels in die praktyk.’
Van Staden waag ‘n definisie van die oppergesag van die reg – iets waarmee akademici al lank sukkel – as ‘die regsinstelling wat staatsarbitrêrheid of willekeurigheid reguleer of probeer elimineer.’
Terminologie is van kritiese belang wanneer dit by konstitusionele konsepte soos die oppergesag van die reg kom, meen Van Staden, omdat selfs ‘die mens se willekeurigheid baie dikwels in die vorm van reg na vore kom, of dit nou in wetgewing is of in die uitsprake van die regbank. Beoordeel vanuit die perspektief van die Oppergesag van die Reg, is hierdie manifestasies van die “heerskappy van die mens” [rule of man]. Dit is waarom dit belangrik is om te onderskei tussen die begrip “die reg” aan die een kant, en blote “wette” aan die ander kant.’
Indien die werklike oppergesag van die reg geëerbiedig sou word, met al die streng vereistes wat dit op die staat plaas, argumenteer Van Staden dat die regering beperk sou word tot die waarborging van slegs ‘basiese geregtigheid’ in die samelewing, en nie in staat sou wees om enigeen van die vele substansiële opvattings van geregtigheid wat van persoon tot persoon en groep tot groep verskil, af te dwing nie.
Die afgedwing van substantiewe geregtigheid lei tot onreg en onderdrukking, omdat dit van mense verwag om teen hul eie gewetens op te tree. Dit is slegs die afdwing van basiese geregtigheid wat die sleutel tot vryheid inhou.
‘n Hoë eer
‘Om deur die European Center for Austrian Economics Foundation erken te word vir my werk rondom die oppergesag van die reg, is ‘n groot eer,’ sê Van Staden vanuit Zürich, Switserland.
‘As Suid-Afrika net die voordele van ‘n regering wat meer substansieel beperk word deur regsbeginsels – soos in sterk federalistiese en konstitusionalistiese Switserland – erken het, sou ons sosio-ekonomie nie in die benarde toestand wees waarin dit vandag is nie.’
Van Staden is ook die skrywer van die boek, The Constitution and the Rule of Law: An Introduction, wat deur die FMF in 2019 gepubliseer is.
Die Internasionale Vernon Smith-prys is in 2008 gestig deur die European Center for Austrian Economics Foundation vir die bevordering van die Oostenrykse skool van ekonomiese denke. Die opstelkompetisie is vernoem na Professor Vernon Lomax Smith, wat die 2002 Nobelprys vir Ekonomiese Wetenskappe saam met Daniel Kahneman gedeel het.
Lees Van Staden se volledige referaat hier: ‘Rule of Law: The Universal Unwritten Constitution.’
Einde.
Persnavrae
Anneke Burns
FMF Publisiteitsbeampte
0714230079 | press@fmfsa.org
