AG appeals to MPs to pass bill to hang convicted killers; Opposition says bill prevents hangings

Attorney General asked the House of Representatives to support government's legislation to hang convicted killers, noting that such a move is needed at this time when the crime and murder rate in Trinidad and Tobago is astronomical and things “are getting so bad.”

Ramlogan made the comments as he piloted legislation to implement the death penalty which he said is already law in the country. 

“This bill seeks to plug some of the loopholes that have been exploited and manipulated by murderers."

But the opposition disagreed with the AG. Chief Whip Marlene McDonald said by placing murders in three categories the government is complicating the process and making it "impossible" to hang anyone.


The AG said crime in the country now borders on an “emergency,” especially when one takes into consideration the casual way some crimes have been committed.

“Blood is flowing like water and people are being killed like stray dog and cat—that is what we’ve inherited! If we don’t act responsibly in T&T’s interest—including members opposite—it’s either we swim together or we drown alone,” Ramlogan stated.

He noted that 3,335 people were murdered between 2001 and 2010. “During 1995 to 2001, the average murder rate annually was about 100 murders except in 2001 when the figure reached 151," he pointed out.

"In 2002 to 2010, there was a dramatic increase, jumping from 172 in 2002 to 506 in 2009 and 472 in 2010.

Ramlogan the state had been unable to implement the death penalty since 1999 when the last executions were done because of a ruling by the Privy Council in the Pratt and Morgan case.

While the AG noted that the Privy Council is not against the death penalty, he said the Law Lords are of the view that executions should not take as long as they did. He spoke of the frustration that the state experiences when it has to wait while appeals to international bodies and groups.

Ramlogan cited several cases to show why the law must be changed so that killers could be executed. He said if a referendum is held now, the majority of the population would support implementation of the death penalty.

Ramlogan said there are 33 people currently on death row and nine per cent of those might have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.

Speaking after Ramlogan's presentation McDonald said the People's National Movement (PNM) supports the resumption of the death penalty. However she said the bill will only cause a new layer of delays to its implementation, and even prevent people from being hanged.

"There will be no hanging in Trinidad and Tobago for a very long time if this bill should pass," she said.

She said the whole process would get tied up in legal arguments with lawyers for every accused person fighting to place the accused outside of category one, which carries the death penalty. Why not leave it as it is, she asked, and hang all convicted killers.

"What I envisage is a floodgate of constitutional motions and judicial reviews taking place with the passage of this Bill before even the trial starts," McDonald said.

She questioned whether Government's motive is to remove the automatic nature of the death penalty "in smart" and replacing it with "constitutional constipation".

"You are not only never going to be able to hang a person; this Bill will make it virtually impossible to get a person before a jury on a charge of murder one," she said.

She suggested that instead of rushing to fulfill a campaign promise the government withdraw the bill and consult with stakeholders with a view to revamping and restructuring the judicial system.