"Hanging" bill defeated in Parliament as opposition votes against constitutional amendment

As expected, the constitutional amendment bill to reintroduce the death penalty for murder was defeated in the House of Representatives on Monday.

Despite changes to the bill to meet the demands of the opposition the 11 members of the People's National Movement (PNM) present for the sitting voted "no". All 29 members on the government side supported the legislation. Point Fortin MP Paula Gopee-Scoon was not present when the vote was taken.

House leader Roodal Moonilal was expecting the defeat and had said the PNM would have to answer to the people for its stand on the very important crime fighting initiative.

“We have made fundamental amendments to our initial version of the Bill—Constitutional Amendment (Capital Offences Bill 2011). We have made these fundamental changes to satisfy the demands of the Opposition so that the final version is effectively the PNM’s bill," Moonilal said over the weekend.

In wrapping up the debate, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan slammed the opposition for its position noting that according to a study done by Oxford University last November an overwhelming 91 per cent of people surveyed said they favoured hanging as the punishment for murder.

He made the point as he referred to the presentation of the opposition chief whip who said in her contribution to the debate that 85 per cent of the population are in favour of hanging and that the PNM agrees with it in principle.

However, Marlene McDonald told legislators that the bill was flawed because it would not cause anyone to hang. She also demanded that it be scrapped and redone because there was no consultation with the people.

Ramlogan took issue with the matter of consultation and read out a long list of measures the former Manning PNM administration took without any consultation with the people.

However he noted that he found one instance of a consultation over a one month period that cost the taxpayer more than $4 million. The AG pointed out that one of the recommendations of that consultation was that hanging should be restored as the penalty for murder. 

Ramlogan said no matter how you look at it the people of Trinidad and Tobago are in favour of hanging convicted killers - even supporters of the PNM.

During the committee stage Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar asked for a suspension of the sitting for a meeting between the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Keith Rowley. However Rowley refused, saying that an earlier request for such a meeting was turned down.

During the various committee stages the opposition made no objections to any of the changes. However when the final vote was taken all 11 members present voted NO.

Speaker Wade Mark then announced that since the bill required a special majority of 31 members of the House of Representatives the measure had failed.

Moonilal then moved that the House be adjourned to 1.30 p.m. on March 11, 2011. MPs approved that and Mark adjourned Parliament.