Hanging bill defeated in Trinidad and Tobago

Government has been unsuccessful in its attempt to pass The Constitutional (Amendment) (Capital Offences) Bill, 2011.

The vote on the death penalty amendment was taken around 2:40pm today in the House of Representatives.

29 voted in favour and 11 voted against. There were no abstentions.

To be enacted, the Bill needed a special majority of 31 votes.

The government had made 2 concessions in the hope of winning the Opposition's support.

Earlier today, Minister of Legal Affairs, Prakash Ramadhar said if the PNM voted against the bill, the government will attempt to correct the faults, as outlined by the Opposition, and bring the bill later.

The bill can only resurface in the House after 6 months.

Source: ctntworld.com, March 1, 2011

Conscience vote on death penalty

The Constitution Amendment (Capital Offences) Bill, better known as the Hanging Bill, was defeated yesterday in the Lower House. The Opposition PNM refused to give the necessary support that the Bill, requiring a 3/4 majority to become law.

It speaks volumes about our political culture that both the People's Partnership and the PNM support the death penalty, yet were unable to come to agreement on this legislation. The PNM has insisted that the Bill is flawed and would not achieve its purpose of speeding up executions. Although the Government removed its major amendment, which created categories of homicide to replace the mandatory death penalty for any kind of murder, this failed to persuade the Opposition.

Since opinion surveys have consistently shown that the majority of citizens support capital punishment, the Government may want to try again and see if there can be a meeting of minds between itself and the Opposition on this contentious issue. PNM leader Keith Rowley had refused to even meet with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar before the vote was taken, which seems rather myopic since politics is about compromise and listening to opposing views. On the other hand, the Government did not exactly use diplomatic language in its bid to woo the Opposition, even going so far as to accuse the other side of being happy about the crime situation.

Politicians on both sides of the House would also do well to pay attention to public opinion on resuming executions, since one survey carried out last year suggests that, despite the extremist calls of some individuals who want to see criminals hanged in the public square, the majority of citizens have more nuanced views than politicians give them credit for. An opinion survey carried out in 2010 by Oxford University professor Roger Hood and Trinidadian psychologist Florence Seemungal found that almost two-thirds of the populace favour a discretionary death penalty rather than a mandatory one. That implies that the Opposition PNM lost political points by insisting on the removal of this clause, as did the Government by acceding.

It is also noteworthy that only one-third of citizens would continue supporting capital punishment if there was any possibility of innocent persons being executed. This means that building trust in the Police Service and the judiciary is essential. Politicians, particularly on the Government side, may also not want to ignore the findings of another poll carried out last month by UWI's Psychological Research Centre, which reported an ethnic difference in the level of support for hanging. This poll found that 86 percent of Indo-Trinidadians supported the death penalty, as compared to just 64 percent of Afro-Trinidadians. That alone could create political tension if and when hangings are resumed.

Given such caveats, both sides may want to consider lifting the party whip on this emotive issue, and allow a conscience vote. That may at least raise the level of debate in the House.

Source: Trinidad Express, March 1, 2011
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