The Opposition People's National Movement is insisting that the State will not be able to execute convicted killers if the death penalty bill is passed.Chief whip Marlene McDonald said so during her response to the presentation of the bill by Attorney General Anand Ramlogan in Parliament yesterday.She said the Opposition, while in support of the execution of convicted killers, the proposed legislation would not assist in meeting that objective.
She said the delays would not be reduced but there would be the creation of more bacchanal."What the Government is seeking to do in this bill is create bacchanal and mayhem and we would not be any closer to actual hanging in this country," she said.She said the Opposition was in favour of imposing the law of the land but this legislation would not assist in that regard.McDonald said the Government should withdraw the bill and not seek to have it referred to a Joint Select Committee of Parliament.
She said the Government should outline a clear policy on the matter and not leave it up to any Joint Select Committee to consider.She urged the Government to come clean on the matter, instead of seeking to fool the population that the legislation would help deal with the serious crime problem in T&T.McDonald, who led the Opposition's response, said there would be increased challenges to the proposal to categorise murders. "All the Government will be doing is complicating the law," she said.