THE EDITOR: I continue to be bemused and greatly disappointed by the approach of our politicians, intellectuals, some experienced journalists and some businessmen to our challenges regarding serious crimes and, in particular, murders. They are all "too bright," as calypsonian Kurt Allen sarcastically thundered in his memorable calypso several years ago.
Why are we pampering the perpetrators of crime? When we are not doing that, we are advocating arming all law-abiding citizens with guns as a viable solution. How ridiculous! What we really should be doing is ensuring that only law enforcement officers have access to such lethal weapons. It ought to be illegal for anyone else to possess such weapons. On conviction, the death penalty should be mandatory for such an offence.
We need to rid ourselves of preliminary enquiries and jury trials for all serious blue-collar and white-collar crimes. Such archaic trappings/devices in our jurisdiction have been utilised by clever attorneys to get their clients to evade justice.
Relatedly, constitutional and other such preliminary objections ought not to be the subject of separate appeals prior to the determination of the substantive matter/case. This contributes significantly to delays, frustrates the process, creates an environment for the intimidation, murder, senility/memory lapses and death by natural causes of witnesses. All such matters should be tried by a judge alone.
Given the prevalence of gun-related crimes, border surveillance/security should receive utmost attention. Anyone caught importing illegal guns and drugs above a certain specific amount should receive the death penalty. Complicit law enforcement/customs officers should also receive the death penalty.
There should be an elite unit set up in the Office of the Attorney General to ensure compliance with the Pratt and Morgan decision. There ought to be no appeal beyond a Privy Council decision. Steps should be taken to withdraw TT from any international treaty that provides for such additional appeals. No one convicted of a capital crime should escape the hangman's noose. All executions should be effected within three years after conviction.
Home invasions should attract a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years. When committed with a firearm, the death penalty should apply, whether or not the victims are shot or killed.
We law-abiding citizens are living in jail/fear and, absurdly, we are finding all kinds of excuses why these murderous miscreants should continue to kill us. Poverty and unemployment are a justification for murder. Madness! Worse, job and training opportunities abound.
Foreign nationals are taking advantage of such opportunities, educating themselves and their offspring, pooling their resources, staying on the straight and narrow path and, eventually, leading their families to a much better life. Hard work and sacrifice pay off.
Many of those "too bright" citizens have the wherewithal to emigrate to other lands and leave us in the mess which they have created. We must push back
