BEC Chairman Leslie Miller
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
TALL Pines MP Leslie Miller yesterday lashed out at the government insisting that during the next election many of his colleagues will receive a “rude awakening” from voters because they did not take a stand to tackle crime, which he described as a cancer “taking out the guts” of Bahamians.
The Bahamas Electricity Corporation executive chairman, whose son was murdered in 2002, said he could not understand why a sovereign country like The Bahamas relied on the decisions of the Privy Council in London.
The London-based court’s views on the death penalty have made it harder for hangings to be carried out in this country.
Mr Miller said the country needs to abandon that body as the final court of appeal as he repeated calls for the Christie administration to carry out capital punishment.
Mr Miller was speaking during his contribution to Juries (Amendment) Bill and the Parliamentary Elections Bill in the House of Assembly.
“We are in a serious crisis in our country,” the government MP said. “Everyday you open the newspapers some innocent life is being taken.
“The state has an obligation in my opinion to do what is necessary to combat this evil that is among us that is taking out the guts of the Bahamian people. Something must be done. We were elected by the people to look out for their needs. We were elected to look out for their future (and) for their children’s future.
“I believe, Mr Speaker, that all of us, when you see those polls close at 6pm, will have a rude awakening if we refuse to act on behalf of those persons who gave us the privilege of coming into this Parliament on their behalf.”
Mr Miller continued: “Capital punishment must be fully implemented in our country. We cannot and we should not accept any further excuses. I don’t care about no Privy Council. They don’t dictate my life.
“I am a Bahamian and if you are butchering our people, if you are killing our people unabated and you know that your life is not going to be taken, they are never going to stop, Mr Speaker.”
He said the government must find a solution to crime that was breaking up families and causing mothers and loved ones to cry for their children.
Up to press time, according to The Tribune’s records, 41 murders have been committed so far this year. Three men were killed on April 7. These included 28-year-old Clayton Rufus Brown who was found stabbed to death just before 4am at Adventurer’s Way in Grand Bahama. Two more men were also killed in New Providence, including a man who was stabbed by his 15-year-old nephew, and a victim who was found slumped over in the driver’s seat of his car with gunshot wounds.
Yesterday Central Grand Bahama MP Neko Grant questioned the status of several promised government projects to tackle crime in the country. He said the Progressive Liberal Party had placed blame on the then-governing Free National Movement while in opposition for the crime situation, but now that they were the governing party, it appeared that they did not have the solutions.
He said: “Now that they are governing, who is to blame? Are matters now not coming on for trial for reasons that are not within the government’s control?
“Mr Speaker, whatever became of the Project Safe Bahamas, nothing has been spoken of it since the campaign trail. Project Safe Bahamas was hailed as a tough, innovative, plan to fight crime and to reduce violence.
“It all sounds so good, it looks prettier on paper, but sadly the truth of the matter is our streets have been turned into gut-wrenching murder scenes.”
Comments
GrassRoot 9 years ago
The death penalty does nothing to deter people from killing each other. The real sentence for a murderer is life without parole up in fox hill. What needs to stop is that these guys get out on bail - ever.
Sickened 9 years ago
I would feel better if all murderers and rapists were dead, dead, dead!
TalRussell 9 years ago
Blunt question directed at Tribune Staff Reporter Khrisna, was it yours or your managing editor's reconstructive story idea to leave out the part where MP Pot cake" Leslie while standing up in the House of Assembly yesterday, also told the Honouable Speaker, how he, "sometimes feels like killing people." Comrade reporter Khrisna, why the obviously intentional omission of an integral part of the story? Then again Krishna, some us are done with your position taken, cuz your future looks bright, if your journalistic standards are being molded, only by what motivates the Tribune to write as much harm to PM Christie, as reconstructive story telling interpretation allows.
by TalRussell
GrassRoot 9 years ago
well would not be surprised if he were behind the shootings of the people out on bail. someone has to be behind this, someone that can protect himself and has the money to do so.
GrassRoot 9 years ago
Tal can you do a Superman with Leslie head? Saving us from the baddies at Gotham-over-The-Hill?
kairosmatt 9 years ago
We are in a crisis of crime?
Duh.
Criminals are running the country.
GrassRoot 9 years ago
true it is not the crisis of crime. It is actually the opposite of crisis of crime, it is the High Reign of Crime, The Golden Age of Crime, The Renaissance of the Gold Rush Thugs.
Cobalt 9 years ago
Lol
duppyVAT 9 years ago
Potcake is right ......... amend the Constitution so that our Bahamian Court of Appeal be the final court on criminal matters ................ that will pass in a split second.
Potcake knows that the PLP days are numbered ................... he is secure
GrassRoot 9 years ago
good luck with amending the Constitution. Many tried. I think all failed. Mostly because only 10% of government workers fit in the high-skilled category of people being able to read and write.
Voltaire 9 years ago
TalRussell - leave the reporter alone. At least some people have the courage to put their name above what they write, unlike all of us here typing under the safety of assumed names. We are cowards by comparison to Khrisna.
TalRussell 9 years ago
Comrade Voltaire can you translate what you just said from your red shirt tongue, using another without irreparable loss of your bias objective? You seem so unwilling to place any importance, regardless whomever points it out, of the Tribune's cherry picking missing part of what all Pot cake Leslie, did in fact say on the floor of the House. Ask you why not? MP's standing to speak in people's House are the only people who have the full protection from the fear of being sued.
GrassRoot 9 years ago
yes. I agree, but the level of journalism is definitely not above the level of everything else in the Bahamas. speaking of which, I don't see why Miller gets some much attention for the little he performs. No one else anything to say? He is like a journalist magnet (same for Greatgrand "Mother" Pratt).
TalRussell 9 years ago
Comrade GrassRoot, don't you think The Tribune should at least make it legal and request an adoption certificate from Bahamaland Human Society, believe me as much headlines usage as they get out da PLP MP Pot cake, he'll be well worth his "must be spayed" fees. No way he should be roaming around corners Shirley & Deveaux, with a set fully functional bullocks, attached he penis.
GrassRoot 9 years ago
Yes my potcake threatened me to get unionized over the abuse of the press by Mr. Miller.
FNM_Retards 9 years ago
Miller getting ready to run as an Independent.
FNM_Retards 9 years ago
We have been In Crisis Over Crime, for years now, especially since 2011 when it DOUBLED to a record breaking 127. To just acknowledge this now, earns you the RETARD award.
John 9 years ago
ARE THESE THE CHICKENS THAT CAME HOME TO ROOST? Back in the 1980's / early 1990's teachers regularly reported that when they asked school children what they wanted to be when they grew up, a common answer was that they wanted to be 'a drug dealer' like their daddy, or their uncle or their cousin. Teachers had a difficult time explaining to the school children that drug dealing was not a (legal) profession. Back then the drug dealers had the fancy cars, the glitzy jewelry, the latest clothes lived in the most exclusive parts of the country and were always had a line of women trailing them. They had parties where they tossed money into the party (made it rain) and some were famed for giving away cars or walking into a bank and giving every teller a rolex watch. You could not tell any young person that this was not the life to chase after. But as more and more persons got into the trade, the drug boys started ripping off each other and stealing shipments that came from Colombia and Jamaica. This angered the drug dealers in those countries and they put a 'hit' on the persons who dared to rip them off. The problem was it was difficult for a Colombian and even a Jamaican to come into the Bahamas do a 'hit' and get back out without being caught. So they either had to lure the drug bandits out of the country, where they 'dealt with them', or had to get someone local to do it for them. Before this era Bahamians were not know as killers and definitely were not persons that would kill someone close to them, friends or family even. But as 'rip offs' became more common, the persons losing the drug shipments became more desperate and more determined to get revenge on the persons who were ripping off their precious, but illegal cargo. So not only did they increase the bounty to persons willing to carry out hits but they also made the persons transporting the drugs responsible for their security. And so Bahamian killing machines were born. There was instances where 'traps' were set for persons attempting to steal drugs who were ambushed and shot up. In more than one instance it was one family member shooting the other, and in at least one instance one brother killing the other. And so that is where we got to the position we are in today. Bahamians learned how to kill. They no longer fear the dead or respect life. Many of the persons doing the killings are still drug dealers or their offspring, or they are a gang member who use the younger, less exposed members, to carry out hits and do killings. They usually come from absent father, single parent homes and are lured into the killing to prove they are worthy or being a gang member and to earn their stripes. These are the chickens that came home too roost.
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