GOVERNMENT MEMBER of Parliament for Central St. Mary, Dr. Morais Guy, says the citizens of his constituency want the Government to resume hanging.
Dr. Guy, making his contribution to the 2005/2006 Sectoral Debate in Parliament on Tuesday, said his constituents felt that hanging would address the national crime problem in a significant way.
"We ask that whatever has to be done to expeditiously bring this form of punishment needs to be done to enable us to deal with the serious problem of crime," he told members of the House of Representatives.
Dr. Guy said: "In terms of crime and violence, in whatever form, it is time that we as leaders set the example that the people of this country are looking to us for. We cannot do something wrong in our homes and then in public admonish those who are guilty of doing the same thing."
He added: "We cannot here be legislating and then we turn around and ask a 'bly' from the law officers. If we are to lead by example what we seek to do has to be the same for all people in the society, not one law for one set of people and another for another set of people."
Recently, Attorney-General Senator A.J. Nicholson re-ignited Government calls for the Opposition to assist in establishing a process for the resumption of hanging.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
The Government believes that certain constitutional amendments are necessary for the resumption of hanging while the Opposition argues there is nothing but judicial inefficiency preventing a return to the gallows.
Based on a judgement from the United Kingdom-based Privy Council, inmates sentenced to death cannot be hanged after more than five years on death row.
However, Senator Nicholson has argued that the various avenues available for appeal make it almost impossible for the sentence to be carried out within the limited time period.
