A vote against decent,law-abiding citizens

THE EDITOR: The criminals must be rejoicing. Amidst all the mayhem with their weapons of war they have found “friends” not only in the United National Congress (UNC) camp, but among five Independent senators. Our parliamentarians voted against the Bail (Amendment) (Extension of Duration) Bill, 2022 that would have assisted the police in the fight against crime and violence in our country. It would have kept gun-toting repeat offenders off the streets for a while.

UNC political leader and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar did not hide her joy at the collapse of the bill. It may have suited her agenda.

I listened to the debate and could not reconcile in my mind how our lawmakers can put the rights of criminals above that of law-abiding citizens. The six UNC and five Independent senators argued to protect the constitutional and human rights of criminals. They were concerned about conditions at the Remand Yard and were sorry for criminals who will be locked away for four months pending bail. There was no empathy for the victims of the heinous crimes committed against unarmed citizens by these criminals.

As far as they were concerned, four months in remand was too unjust for a minority that inflict a lifetime of trauma on decent law-abiding victims.

As I listened to the senators, I remembered the attack against my then 70-year-old mother who was recuperating from an ear operation. The bandits entered the family grocery in broad daylight with guns in hand. One of them rushed into her house on the compound, entered the bedroom where she was resting. He ordered her to hand over money and jewels and in the process struck her with the gun butt on the very ear that was healing.

Surely, my mother was lucky. It could have been worse. What those home invasions in which women and young girls are raped and innocent people traumatised, maimed or even killed?

These are the kinds of miscreants that Senators Wade Mark, Jayanti Lutchmedial, Paul Richards, Dr Varma Deyalsingh, Amrita Deonarine, Charisse Seepersad and Deoroop Temal argued to allow to roam our streets through the judiciary’s bail revolving door.

Facing an armed invasion of your home or business is not a tea party. It is a serious breach of the constitutional and human rights of decent citizens to live in peace.

Former US attorney general William Barr in his memoirs, One Damn Thing after Another, argued that government must stand behind victims of crime and let the perpetrators face the music. And I might add, wherever and however it is played. Barr said “the way to reduce violent crime was to target repeat violent criminals and take them off the streets.”

He advocated stringent laws that would make criminals think twice before travelling the crime road. This is not new advice. Supt Roger Alexander and TV anchor Marlon Hodgkinson made similar observations repeatedly in their popular programme, Beyond the Tape.

Unless the punishment is tough, hardened criminals will neither respect nor fear its application. Barr noted that weak anti-crime laws render criminal justice systems dysfunctional and “evoked derisive laughter from criminals, even during arrests.”

It is interesting that some of the five Independent senators who voted against the extension have volunteered explanations for their action. Good for them. The fact remains that their negative vote will be interpreted as a vote against law-abiding and decent citizens who continue to be traumatised by evil and wicked men. The next time any of these senators speak about crime I will simply change the channel.

HARRY PARTAP

former UNC MP