Ragbir strikes a blow for bipartisanship

THE EDITOR: Thirty-eight for. None against!

It appears that this nation owes a debt of gratitude to Cumuto/Manzanilla Member of Parliament Rai Ragbir. After Monday's proceedings in the Parliament, it is now apparent that with his one selfless act with respect to the Whistleblower Protection Bill on June 21, he has inspired the rest of the Opposition bench to put the country first and support, unreservedly, the much needed Bail Amendment Bill 2024.

Be it the result of the desire to serve the nation that elected her, or the fear of there being further defections from among her ranks, the Leader of the Opposition ought to be applauded – much as Ragbir was – and not pilloried for this act of bipartisanship. Regardless of how late in the game it may have come.

And given this latest precedent, one might also expect that any move to discipline Ragib now becomes null and void.

In his contribution, Attorney General Reginald Armour SC alluded to the fact that in 2023 as many as 52 per cent of those convicted for criminal offences were repeat offenders. And that "during the period 2022-23 there was a 139 per cent increase in convicted male reoffenders."

One can therefore be forgiven for wondering just how many crimes – and how many deaths – the population might have been spared, had this spirit of bipartisanship come in 2019 when changes to the bill were first advanced

G ELIAS

Cascade