People’s National Movement (PNM) Leader Dr Keith Rowley is slamming the Government for using the controversial death penalty as an “election tool.” With 16 murders in just ten days, T&T had a bloody beginning to the new year and by Friday, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan wrote to Rowley asking him to either support the Constitutional (Amendment) (Capital Offences) Bill or propose changes to the bill that would foster the PNM’s support.
“As you are aware, the Government proposes to reintroduce the Constitutional (Amendment) (Capital Offences) Bill 2015 to operationalise the death penalty in Trinidad and Tobago,” Ramlogan stated in the letter. This is Ramlogan’s third attempt to pin down the PNM on the death penalty issue. But, in an interview with the Sunday Guardian yesterday, Rowley accused the Government of resurrecting the death penalty for the sake of the upcoming general election and not as a crime fighting initiative.
“It is quite annoying that with a few weeks to go before elections, they choose to play games with the death penalty. ” Rowley said. “The death penalty is already the law and the PNM supports it, we are not going to be distracted by foolish political games,” Rowley said. Rowley said instead of using the current crime situation to score political points, the Government should ensure that T&T met guidelines and procedures laid out by the Privy Council to use the death penalty.
“I know they (Government) want to say that the Opposition is not in support of the death penalty, and that is a lie,” he said. He said in 1999 former United National Congress (UNC) attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj utilised that existing law to execute nine men, including known drug lord, Nankisson ‘Dole Chadee’ Boodram. Boodram was the first person to be hanged in T&T after more than 20 years. “The identical law is what is there today,” Rowley said.
“What the Government needs to do is improve the administration so that they can improve detection, improve conviction instead of scoring political points by lying to the population and saying the PNM is against the death penalty,” he said. Rowley accused the Government of trying to use the PNM as the “scapegoats” and “part of their stupid agenda” as they are unable to deal with the spiralling crime situation.
He also said that the Government was seeking to amend the Constitution instead of complying with the Privy Council conditions. “And we know what they are because they have been tested and retested through trials and retrials,” he said. Rowley said the death penalty on its own was useless unless the police detection rate improved. “Imagine, out of 100 murders, 87 go undetected. We must be able to identify criminals,” he said.
MORE INFO
Anand: Opposition leader playing smart with foolishness
In a subsequent interview, Ramlogan challenged Rowley to a public debate on the death penalty issue. Ramlogan yesterday said Rowley was “deliberately playing smart with foolishness” by mixing up the detection rate with the death penalty issue. “Rowley is confused if he thinks the death penalty has anything to do with the detection rate,” Ramlogan said.
“There are currently 500 persons charged with murder and awaiting trial in the system right now, those are 500 persons caught and waiting,” Ramlogan said. He challenged Rowley to “join hands” with the Government when the ongoing investigations, trials and convictions are determined by the courts.
“The question is when a convict is caught and prosecuted, would the PNM join hands with the Government to amend the law?” Ramlogan said.He said Rowley claims to support the death penalty but has consistently voted against it in the past.