Member of Parliament for Carmichael, John Carey, advocated in the House of Assembly on Wednesday that in the wake of constant robberies and rapes, it is time to bring back the Cat-O-Nine tail, amend the law to allow lethal injection, or “throw away the key” on malicious criminals.
“We must either bring the Cat back now or prescribe some other immediate solution to eradicate this menace. Criminals must pay for their crime in the same painful and punishing way they inflicted horror and shame upon their victims. For too long, these thugs attack innocent citizens, infringe on our basic human rights and then hide behind the very human rights for their own protection,” said an irate Mr. Carey.
The Carmichael MP was initially speaking on the Bill for an Act to Amend the Stamp Act, but digressed to comment on the level of “personal crime” that has affected one of his constituents. He said that a stray bullet, in what appeared to be a drive-by shooting last week, hit Mrs. Cynthia Gary-Wilson, but fortunately, not fatally.
Such criminal action is unacceptable and cannot go unnoticed or unchecked, Mr Carey said.
It is clear, he went on, that “criminals continue to laugh at the government, stick a finger in their face, ‘jook’ them in the eye and stare them down with a jaundiced eye.”
He admonished the government to do the will of the people in seeing that capital punishment is enforced, as prescribed in the law, with haste. The government must not allow those condemned to capital punishment to get off the hook so easily, he said.
“I say amend the laws to allow lethal injection and other acceptable means of capital punishment so as to avoid current loopholes. People like Mrs. Wilson demand that, and I say Carmichael expects that of this honourable house,” he said.
Mr. Carey also called for a national day of crime prevention, with rallies, church services, debates and coming up with new legislation to combat crime.
“We must all participate in this endeavour,” he stated. “We must pack our streets with all Bahamians and show how serious we are about ridding this scourge from our land. We must all hold hands, march, demonstrate and send a clear signal that crime will not be tolerated.”
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
