Headlines:
| Senate continues death penalty debate |
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| Friday, 12 December 2008 | |
 Senators on
Friday presented strong arguments as debate on a motion on whether to retain
the death penalty entered a second day.Making his case for the retention of the death penalty, Opposition Senator Basil Waite argued two key points, the moral authority of the state to punish by taking a life and whether the death penalty is a deterrent to crime. Senator Mr. Waite argued that the right to life is not unconditional and may be negated by actions that undermine a moral community. "Some acts are so vile and so destructive of communities that they invalidate the right of the perpetrator to membership and even to life ... the preservation of the moral community demands that the shattering of its existence must be taken with utmost seriousness. Won't stop wanton killings - Waite A  ccording to him, the preciousness of life in a moral community must be
so highly honoured that those who do not honour the life of others make null
and void their right to membership. Senator Waite however, noted that the death penalty by itself, or justice reform by itself, would not stop wanton murder in the society. He called for an assault on garrison communities which he said breed crime and violence because of persistent, high levels of poverty. Citing statistics that 80% of all murders occur in the inner-city, Mr. Waite called for a development bond for these communities including social, economic and infra-structural improvements to turn them around. Message that murder is legitimate - Meadows  For his part, Government Senator Dennis Meadows likened the death penalty
to a public spectacle of official violent homicide.He argued that peace and safety could not be achieved through violence on the part of the state. "My opposition to the death penalty does not arrive from misplaced sympathy for convicted murderers ... on the contrary, murder demonstrates a lack of respect for human life. The death penalty and its execution give society an unmistakable message, that human life no longer deserves respect and that murder is legitimate when it deemed justified by pragmatic concerns," he said. Debate on the motion will continue next Friday when the senate sits for the last time before the Christmas break. |