By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
BRANVILLE McCartney, Democratic National Alliance leader yesterday said he fully supports the reintroduction of corporal punishment in the Bahamas as a means to combat crime.
Speaking to the media during a press conference that introduced his party’s shadow cabinet ministers, Mr McCartney said that persons responsible for crimes, especially rapes, should be flogged publicly.
He said: “Let’s start enforcing the laws. Let’s start getting a more disciplined society. The fact of the matter is we don’t have a disciplined society. (These criminals) they would have regard and they would think twice if we started carrying out the law and if we started ensuring that the death penalty is carried out.”
“(We need to) ensure that these persons, who are going around raping (and) terrorising this country are made examples of. I mention these persons who are alleged of committing rape and terrorising this country. If persons are found guilty to have done that, there should be a public flogging of these persons in my view, a public flogging.”
Mr McCartney also noted that Bahamians should not take a back seat approach in the fight against crime. Had the DNA been elected as the new government of the Bahamas, Mr McCartney said their crime plan would have been enacted on day one, leading to a noticeable decrease in criminal offences.
The DNA leader said he is not only convinced that small crimes should have consequences, but that should parents be held responsible for their children’s actions then they would do a better job at raising them.
Mr McCartney made the charge two weeks ago in an interview with The Tribune.
At the time, he said: “In the Child Protection Act under section 125 an order can be made where a minor is found guilty, but the parents are responsible. The parents pay a fine, damages or costs. Holding parents responsible for their children’s actions is a start to combating the crime problem. The law is there for it.
“We need to catch these things from young. A parent won’t be saying ‘my good son’ if they are found liable for their sons actions. They won’t be saying ‘my good son’ when they have to pay that fine. Those are only two examples. The law is there. We need to do something.”
Mr McCartney said until the government starts holding parents responsible “we will not see a decrease in crime.” Something, he said, the present government seems not to understand.
Comments
B_I_D___ 11 years, 9 months ago
Now THAT is someone or something I could support!! Sadly, in todays soft age and political correctness, it will never happen.
TalRussell 11 years, 9 months ago
Comrades this sounds like had the green shirts won the government on Decision Day 2012, it wouldn't have taken long before we had our own " Bahamaland Spring" uprising in the streets against a crude government.
Maybe Comrade Bran will make it legal for Bahamaland's husbands, as the newly elected Muslim Brothers Egyptian government did a few days ago, for a Husband to have sex with his Wife for up to six hours "after" her death?
Why not, the DNA done said they would do away with a Husband using "protection" during sexual intercourse with he wife, that she should just lay back, spread and take his "seed."
Comrades like I keep saying. I ain't creative enough make this stuff up out out me head.
I yesterday, maybe it's time for the green shirts to consider kicking Comrade Bran out of the DNA's playbox.
by TalRussell
spoitier 11 years, 9 months ago
When I first started to read the tribune about 8 months or so ago your post wasn't so bad, a little bias, but not as bad, but as time get closer to the election it keep getting worse and now after the election you kick it up a level it is almost like something posses you or someone else started to post for you or something.
nationbuilder 11 years, 9 months ago
Okay I know pandering when I see it and once again, McCartney is merely saying what he thinks people want to hear. The failure in logic on his part is - if he knows the judicial impediments to the death penalty being carried out, what makes him think that public floggings would be any more probable or possible?
If everyone with a public platform nowadays wants to pander, who will lift us up and challenge us to rise above and beyond the levels to which these guys dish out BS by the gallon?
spoitier 11 years, 9 months ago
You're right about judicial impediment to the death penalty.However, a step towards what McCartney is saying can be done by the Bahamas standing up on their own two feet and rid itself of the Privy Council, this will be better for them and us, there are other former British Colony that has already done so. Would you be happy if he say let these criminal continue to get out on bail, and make sure the average law abiding citizens don't be able to purchase a gun to defend their homes from these thugs, would that be better to say, pandering or not something have to be done about these criminals and besides all of the politicians in the Bahamas does it, the only difference is there isn't prove that he is doing it because he haven't been in power to broke promises like the other two guys.
concernedcitizen 11 years, 9 months ago
we need the privy council ,it gives large foriegn investors the assurance that there is a court of last appeal....
spoitier 11 years, 9 months ago
We shouldn't sell our soul to the devil and have our sons and daughters murder just because, and also who said we can't build our own court of last appeal, that is the reason why I suggested dumping them in the first place.
concernedcitizen 11 years, 9 months ago
there is long documented studies thet the death penalty does nothing to lower the murder rate ..many of us have already sold our souls and it has nothing to do with a court 1500 miles away .come on maybe you live in another world but i had a front row seat to the corruption in our judges ,and it would be worse if they didn,t think their rulings could be looked at by a higher court ,,for my own safety and now i live a different life ,i won,t name names ,but u would be amazed at how little some of them sold their integrity for
granvilleb2000 11 years, 9 months ago
I can see how people are upset by these reprehensible acts of criminals but I don't see the country descending to flogging in any form, public or private. We have to understand that the only persons who will get any benefits from flogging is the person doing the flogging and we as a country should begin to realise that we are dealing with some devious individuals and the only thing to do with them is to put them in prison for a long, long time so that when they are released they will not be any problems to anyone else. We cannot be seen to be sympathetic to these people, we have been saying for ever that possessing an illegal firearm is against the laws, that using and trading in certain drugs is illegal, that raping and murder is illegal yet almost every day we have people being apprehended for doing these things. How long and what does it take for our Leaders to realise that the country need to be serious with them. One area I do not see our Legal minds looking at and that is the payment of Bonds to the courts. Does anybody ever asked where persons who have not done any legal work in their lives manage to come up with $10, 20 and up to $50,000 cash bail; where do they get hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases to pay Lawyers for defending them, who check on where these monies are coming from, who cares? Let's get serious and begin to do something about getting a hand on crime in this country.
spoitier 11 years, 9 months ago
Well said, but still flog em anyway and if only the person flogging getting the benefit at least someone is getting some benefit from it. On a serious note it could be a deterrent because criminals aren't afraid of prison.
mynameis 11 years, 9 months ago
I seem to recall a case several years ago where a rapist was sentenced to flogging upon conviction and that sentence was overturned on the grounds that the flogging was inhumane...I could be mistaken. I believe that the convict may have been Andrew Bridgewater. But, since that time, no other judge has sought to impose the sentence of flogging on a convict.
BigD1 11 years, 9 months ago
Flogging has been a part of Bahamian law but Mr. McCartney is a lawyer and knows quite well the government cannot dictate what punishment a judge will levy. This is why there is separation of the judiciary and the state. This is the height of pandering.
concernedcitizen 11 years, 9 months ago
true ,true !!
Natasha 11 years, 9 months ago
I disagree with the flogging of convicted rapists. I feel they should be executed. Rape is worse than murder.
spoitier 11 years, 9 months ago
Yeah, but that isn't going to happen in a western democratic country.
devilsadvocate 11 years, 9 months ago
I am sure McCartney understands people would like to act as he states but realizes they have not the moral fortitude or desire to contradict their way of life. I would love to see him stand up there and attempt to flog someone.
TalRussell 11 years, 9 months ago
Check out the faces sitting around Comrade Bran's make believe cabinet table and you'll quickly notice the faces of Comrades that have at one time or the other worn the party colors of other, if not all, of the current and dead Bahamaland's political parties.
Comrades with more colors of shirts than the rainbow got in they closets, where is His or Her personal commitment to an ideal?
Again, Comrade Bran is busy doing what he did during the General Elections campaign, failing to define the Green's message.
by TalRussell
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID