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Jack suspends ‘resume hanging’ petition
Published:
Saturday, February 4, 2012
An angry Justice Minister Herbert Volney tears down a sign saying “Danger Work In Progress” which was erected on the galvanized fencing of a squatter near the St Joseph Secondary School, during his visit to the school where he met with the Parent Teachers Association yesterday. PHOTO: MARCUS GONZALES
Hours after Justice Minister Herbert Volney declared his open support of his Cabinet colleague Works and Infrastructure Minister, Jack Warner, for a petition to implement the death penalty, Warner suspended the initiative. In a statement yesterday, a mere three days after launching the campaign, Warner said the decision was taken after a Cabinet meeting on Thursday. “Following a meeting of the Cabinet, I wish to inform the general public that, with immediate effect, I have decided to suspend the initiative that was started to implement the death penalty,” the statement read. Saying this was his “final statement” on the matter Warner further thanked those who supported him. It was only on Wednesday that Warner had launched a death penalty campaign to collect signatures from all parts of the country for a petition which would demand the enforcement of hanging. Warner’s petition titled “A Fisherman’s Cry,” was launched at his constituency office in Chaguanas. He had planned to have the petition laid in Parliament and given to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and to Opposition Leader Rowley. Its title alludes to the three fishermen—brothers Ravi, 26, and Kasinath Ramsaran, 31, and friend Pream Squires, 41, who were murdered at sea last month.
At Wednesday’s launch Warner had also appealed to all MPs and senators to sign a petition to support the hanging bill. He noted that the petition was not about politics or about popularity, but about the grief and suffering of relatives of the victims of murder. “If the Government is sidelining me, Chaguanas West is not,” he had said. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, however, also made it clear that Warner was on his own with his venture as it was not Government policy. Volney, who spoke yesterday after attending a meeting with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of the St Joseph Secondary School, declared he had thrown his full support behind Warner’s campaign. Volney made the comment prior to Warner’s statement. “Of course I will sign the petition, that is what the people want and therefore I would definitely support it,” Volney said. He said both himself and Warner had been “very vocal” on bringing back the death penalty to deal with the crime scourge in the country.
Accusing the Opposition of being hypocritical Volney also charged that they had no intention of really wanting to tackle crime by not supporting the measure. “The Opposition is clearly hypocritical to the issue. They say they want the death penalty yet they don’t want to help us by providing the tools to have it implemented” “Dr Keith Rowley is a geologist and Mr Faris Al Rawi, although being an attorney, does not understand the aspects of the death penalty law,” Volney added.
Rowley had previously said that while the PNM supported the death penalty it would continue to vote against any bill which sought to categorise murders in T&T. He added that by categorising murders the death penalty would not be carried out as convicted killers would get a new avenue to delay their executions. Volney said he believed, however, that amid the cries for justice by grieving relatives, members of the public would pressure the Opposition to support the death penalty. “The public would definitely put pressure on the Opposition to support the death penalty bill because that is what the people want,” Volney said.
Without mincing words, Volney said he had every intention of supporting his Cabinet colleague adding, “Mr Warner and I have spoken very openly about the death penalty and it is a measure which I definitely support and we would not be backing down.” Following brief discussions with PTA members at the school Volney ripped off a sign which read, “Danger, work in progress,” from a galvanised fence located opposite the school. According to the Justice Minister, a man who had been squatting on State lands erected the fence which was earmarked as the school’s muster point. Volney said the matter was brought to the attention of the Minister of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs Vasant Bharath over a year ago but nothing was done. After ripping down the sign and tearing it in half Volney said, “The ugly face of lawlessness would not be tolerated especially in my community.”
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