28 March 2008
opinion
Port Louis — Oh dear, Pravind Jugnauth is once again clamouring for blood. And not of the figurative kind, mind you. The leader of the MSM actually seems to fancy himself as an executioner in the most real sense of the term. I feel loath to rain on his parade in political la-la land but I find it important to balance his populist pandering with some grounded arguments.
Barring the US, not a single developed country in the world continues this barbaric practice. The reasons for this are not solely moral. Beyond its myriad ethical implications and the fact that it contravenes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the death penalty, or institutionalized murder as it is more aptly known, does not act as a deterrent to violent crime. This has been established time and time again by competent bodies the world over.
Admittedly, it is always tempting, and, indeed, natural, to surrender to primal instincts such as fear and anger when one feels threatened. Sadly, this does nothing to neutralize the threat in the long-term and in fact only feeds the psychosis further. In 'The Death Penalty V. Human Rights: Why Abolish the Death Penalty?', a document published last year, Amnesty International explains that capital punishment can also be used towards political ends and often claims innocent lives.
"In country after country, it is used disproportionately against the poor or against racial or ethnic minorities. It is also used as a tool of political repression. It is imposed and inflicted arbitrarily. It is an irrevocable punishment, resulting inevitably in the execution of people innocent of any crime. It is a violation of fundamental human rights."
What saddens me the most though, is that nary a political leader has had the courage to address meaningfully the real reasons behind the disintegration of law and order, namely poverty and, especially, the country's frightful addiction to heroin. It's so much easier to indulge in a spot of knee-jerking than to devise holistic ways of combating these twin evils.
Moreover, a root-and-branch reform of the police force is urgently required if some semblance of order is to be restored. Our men in blue are desperately lacking in resources and training. What is being done to remedy this?
In these benighted times, it's become more important than ever to preserve and uphold the values intrinsic to what we consider a 'civilized society'. The respect of fundamental human rights, which is one of the State's most basic duties, should thus be even more preciously safeguarded, not less. For the State to condone murder is tantamount to making each and everyone of its citizens complicit in the act.
Reinstating the death penalty will certainly quench some people's bloodlust but will do nothing to stem the rising tide of criminality. So, before Pravind Jugnauth continues on his crusade to bump people off like some petty tyrant, I'd suggest he check his facts and spend some time devising more constructive ways of helping the country.
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