Prime Minister Perry Christie recently waded into the capital punishment debate, steering clear of voicing any personal opinions, but instead emphasizing that the Government of The Bahamas will be guided by the decisions of the courts.
Mr. Christie made the comment amid growing calls for hangings to resume in the face of rising crime rates.
“We have this situation where probably the great majority of the people of our country would support capital punishment,” he told The Bahama Journal.
“A significant minority does not and they argue very persuasively why they do not. But from the government’s point of view, the law remains on the book and this does not arise with us as to whether or not it happens or doesn’t happen. It’s a matter for the courts of The Bahamas.”
The prime minister added, “The Bahamas government supports the law that exists that someone who is charged with murder, convicted of murder and sentenced to death has the right of appeal. The Government of The Bahamas does not interfere with that process.
“What happens is the appeals process takes itself into the Privy Council, the highest court of appeal and the Privy Council in recent times has been defining the law in such a way that the cases have not taken place and they have entertained arguments throughout the Caribbean on this issue.”
Prime Minister Christie noted that some countries are looking at whether they should keep the Privy Council as their highest court of appeal.
“In our case ours is a constitutional matter and we’ve not even contemplated moving away from the Privy Council,” he said.
The prime minister wasn’t the only government official to speak about the capital punishment issue in recent days.
One of his cabinet ministers has offered a more personal view on the hot-button issue, strongly intimating that hangings should take place in The Bahamas again.
When he spoke at the funeral service for murdered softball star Jackie Moxey on Saturday, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Neville Wisdom made that position clear.
“Senseless acts are happening in this country too often,” he said. “A clear message must be sent that there are consequences for your actions. Those of us who are in position such as the deputy prime minister, the attorney general and I must find a way to ensure that those consequences are met upon people who determine that they can snuff out a life and then serve a life sentence in Fox Hill prison. This nonsense must stop.”
However, opponents have argued that statistics have shown repeatedly the world over that the death penalty does not serve as a deterrent.
They note that in 2000 when The Bahamas carried out its last hanging, there were more than 70 murders recorded.
They also note that because most murders are domestic-related, few people would think strongly about hangings before committing their crimes.
However, as reported in The Bahama Journal last week, Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson believes that capital punishment would help to prevent some crimes.
“There are many persons on death row who should have been gone a long time ago,” Mr. Farquharson said.
By: Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
