State your constitution reform plans

There is no Senate today because Tobago senators had asked that Parliament be held next Tuesday since the Easter weekend is such a grand affair in the sister isle. All energies in Tobago are spent on that weekend, they contended. And the Government agreed with this position.

Debate, thus, on the Anti-Kidnapping Bill will continue on Tuesday 29. In the interim however, Independent Senator Ramesh Deosaran is calling on Government to lay the “Caroni Plan” in the Parliament as well as make a formal announcement now on Constitution Reform “in order to satisfy the condition which the UNC had set for their support of the Bill”.

In a letter to the editor, Deosaran stated: “The Parliament cannot refuse to respond effectively to all the grieving and bleeding now experienced by the population, especially over this rising epi-demic of kidnapping — with or without ransom.” Deosaran stated that it was imperative that a bipartisan approach be adopted. He said in his view there seemed to be some move in the Senate last week towards a PNM-UNC alliance in having the Anti-Kidnapping Bill passed.

The Senator stated that he was bringing certain amendments to the Bill. The first amendment would seek to re-insert the “no bail” clause for the accused, but with a condition. That condition is that no bail should be granted to a person if that person has one previous conviction for an indictable (serious) offence. The second amendment seeks to place the offences of kidnapping within the proceeds of Crime Act (2000) which would give the police more teeth with its investigations.

The third amendment seeks to introduce a new feature of private security and investigation, by granting power to the Attorney General to provide a licence to trained and competent professionals to assist crime victims or families in tracing criminals, kidnappers or any person who threatens the safety of other persons. He said such licensed private investigators would also be in a position to assist the police.  “Neither the Government nor the Police should debar a grieving family from seeking a supplementary, non-obstructive way of freeing their kidnapping relative as well as helping to provide further evidence for prosecution,” Deosaran stated.

The amendments have been sent to the Clerk of the Senate. If at the end of it all, the Bill has to be returned to the Lower House for amendments, “then it will be an effort in the public interest”, he said.