(Trinidad Express) Trinidad and Tobago’s appetite for gore, bacchanal, scandal and death has left Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi wondering if this country has turned into a Roman Colosseum.
“The Roman Colosseum was the venue that opiated the Roman masses. How? By sacrificing Christians and gladiators to the sword and to the lions,” Al-Rawi explained.
“We seem to relish as a country in gore, bacchanal, scandal and death. Read our newspapers. They don’t look like the US newspapers. There have been close to 130 mass murders in the US….a mass murder is where more than four people are killed in one shot…not a reflection of that in their newspapers. Jamaica, which is living under a state of emergency in certain parishes, not a reflection in their papers. Guyana, not a reflection in their papers. Trinidad and Tobago, from page one to the sports page all you could see is gore and gut,” the Attorney General lamented.
Winding up debate on the Evidence (Amendment) Bill in the Senate yesterday, Al Rawi recalled one “horrendous” incident that occurred recently.
“A lady had an epileptic fit on the road, fell to the ground. Cameras caught her live. A car rolled over her head, twice. Two vehicles passed on the CCTV camera footage and people looked out the window and continued along. Our country, which prides itself on God is a Trini and God will help people, we saw viral video evidence going around by Whatsapp telling us that nobody would stop to help this woman. And why? Is it because we are that insensitive. Is it because the people who were passing were fearful that that had happened by virtue of some crime and therefore did not want to find themselves as witnesses in the event?” he asked.
He said the Evidence (Amendment) Bill will allow T&T, for the first time, to use CCTV evidence in Court.
“It will allow a witness who may be fearful to step forward to say I am prepared to think about being a witness if I had a chance of doing the right thing safely,” Al-Rawi went on.
He said the last time the Evidence Act was amended was in 2012, by the Opposition, but only to include the words “a forensic DNA analyst” in Section 19.
“Five years, three months, witnesses dying, we can’t use CCTV evidence, can’t get special procedure…” Al-Rawi said.
The Bill, he said, will allow persons to be prosecuted based on CCTV evidence.
“Wouldn’t you like to have the ability, like Singapore does, to prosecute even people who commit the offence of littering by virtue of CCTV cameras? Praedial larceny by CCTV cameras? Heinous crimes by CCTV cameras? Doesn’t that sound like the modernisation that honourable members want?”
