Panday hits anti-gang bill flop: Blood on every MPs’ hand

SHARLENE RAMPERSAD

Former minister in the Ministry of National Security Subhas Panday says both Government and the Opposition are to blame for failing to pass the anti-gang bill, and as such, every drop of blood spilled by a gangster, is blood that stains the hands of all 41 MPs.

At a press conference at his law chambers in San Fernando on Tuesday, Panday said Parliamentarians have given gangsters and criminals the “unfettered” freedom to create mayhem, to murder and terrorise the population. Last Thursday, Opposition members voted against the bill which required a special majority to pass in the House of Representatives.

“As a former minister, I view last Thursday’s sitting of the Parliament as one of the darkest days in its history,” Panday said. “The parliament in its entirety betrayed the people and drove a dagger into the lives and hearts of all law-abiding citizens. Its betrayal showed no consideration for their fears, the trauma they experienced nor their safety and protection, every drop of blood which is spilled as a result of gang-related crime falls on the hands of every Member of Parliament.”

Panday said he does not accept that both sides could not agree to a compromise on the duration of the sunset clause of the bill, which would have marked the end of the proposed legislation.

“Why couldn’t a Parliament agree on a such a simple thing as the difference between two and four years? During the committee stage of the bill, when the sunset clause was brought up, why didn’t the Opposition indicate at that time that their position was two years so they would have forced the government to compromise and to take a decision? Instead they said nothing and waited until the vote, then to spring into action and say ‘No’.”

He criticised the government as well for not budging on their proposed four-year sunset clause. “All the structures were in place and already working like the Anti-Gang and Intelligence Unit, the Cyber Crime Unit and all that was necessary to immediately launch an attack on the gangs was the passage of this anti-gang legislation. The government could have accepted the two-year sunset clause, sprung into action immediately and shown the population the results within two years.

“If it had been working, then the population surely would have given them the necessary extension, the government played an important part in causing the legislation to fail.”