Ramlogan to Rowley: Let’s talk on hanging bill

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has called on Opposition Leader Keith Rowley to meet him for talks— even a public debate—on  the hanging bill and on advice both the PNM and Government received on this. Speaking to reporters after yesterday’s Senate lunch break, Ramlogan said he was prepared to meet Rowley before or after Carnival or at any time to try and work out the legislation. He said he had written Rowley sending the PNM the advice the Government had on the legislation. This included advice the former administration had received, as well as opinions from Dr Fenton Ramsahoye (SC) and former Attorney General Russell Martineau.

But Ramlogan said Rowley never replied. On Rowley’s recent statement that the PNM’s advice on the matter was  different to that of Government, Ramlogan said: “ If that is so, I ask Dr Rowley to meet and discuss his legal advice and I’ll discuss mine ...we can even have a public debate anywhere, anytime so we can explore why in a country where the government wants the death penalty enforced and the Opposition claims to support it, we can’t seem to have it.” “But they’re not prepared to sit and talk  as they walked out of the Parliamentary team on procurement. They don’t want to be part of the solution, they want to be in a position to complain about the problem.”

Saying he was prepared to have discussions with Rowley to find common ground, Ramlogan said both sides could even nominate someone whom they both knew and trusted and who has an impeccable character to get advice from them on the issue. But Ramlogan said he couldn’t go to Parliament with a bill along the lines the Opposition suggested when his legal advice indicated that would be “political and constitutional suicide.” Ramlogan said there was no point going to Parliament without having common ground on the issue. He added, “I think the Opposition is being short-sighted and exercising the politics of inconvenience. They want to champion a problem and remain a political crusader with a cause, but they are losing the moral authority to speak about the problem when they refuse to be part of the solution.”