Judge to politicians: Pass anti-gang laws

In the midst of what can be described as a killing spree with 485 murders as of Saturday with the latest involving three members of a Cunupia family, a High Court judge is pleading for unity between the Opposition and Government to pass anti-gang legislation.

Justice Frank Seepersad delivered an early-morning Christmas Eve sermon in which he asked the question of whether there is a fear in Trinidad and Tobago to pass legislation that is intended to root out criminal gangs. If there exists such a fear, he said, those who harbour such know too well that judges and magistrates will jealously guard and defend the rights of citizens.

Seepersad spoke at the Wilson Memorial Presbyterian Church in Marabella, where he called on politicians and citizens to unite in order to stem, what he described as, the barbaric operation of gang warfare in the country. On December 7, the Opposition in Parliament refused to support the Government’s proposed amended Anti-Gang Bill. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, in a post-Cabinet briefing, condemned the move, but he promised to reintroduce the bill in order to tackle criminal gangs. Our society in under attack, Seepersad said, and if there is not a unified approach in which people must discharge their obligations as citizens and in governance, then the barbaric gang warfare will not be abated. Seepersad said after much debate in the country about anti-gang legislation, it is difficult to comprehend why anyone would be fearful of legislation that is intended to tackle gang activity.

Calling on politicians and citizens to give themselves a gift of national unity this Christmas, Seepersad bemoaned people are divided on the basis of race, religion and even between those living in north and in south. “In order to focus on our success as a country and as a people, we must first lift our eyes from the potential divisions that surround us. Our diversity should be our most prized asset not our most pressing liability.“