There is to be a conscience vote in Parliament shortly, on whether the death penalty should be retained in Jamaica. This is a serious matter, requiring sound judgement and a cool head and, I must say I am not impressed with how two Government members of parliament, in particular, have handled themselves in public, so far, on the matter.
In last Monday's Gleaner, Karl Samuda, MP for North Central St Andrew, is reported to have said that the recent brutal murder of Ananda Dean, who lived in his constituency, had changed his view with regard to capital punishment, and he announced (to thunderous applause) that in the coming conscience vote he would "decide that the law must take its course". Murder is a horrible thing, and some murders like Ananda's are horrific, but everyone knows that sound decisions are rarely taken in the heat of passion and outrage.
The quiet voice of conscience is often drowned out during times of high emotion, like at funerals. I would expect all serious MPs to consider the issues carefully, before voting, and to be guided by reason. Could one murder, no matter how foul, cause someone, who believed capital punishment to be wrong, to change their mind? Consciences do not work that way. One must stick to the courage of one's convictions, to what one knows to be right, especially in the face of calamity and adverse opinion.
Yesterday's Gleaner reports that Joseph Hibbert, junior minister with responsibility for water and housing, said in the House of Parliament that his colleague MPs, who voted against the death penalty, would be guilty of legalising murder. He was ruled out of order by the Speaker, and made to withdraw the remark, but the damage to his reputation was already done. Mr Hibbert is signalling that his support of the death penalty is linked to the notion that murderers must themselves be killed - retribution - and that failure to do so is to support murder itself. The fact that many Jamaicans share his view - and do so based on their interpretation of God's Holy Word - should signal to true Christian churches that there is a lot of evangelisation left to be done in this land.
Frustration
I can well imagine the frustration experienced by Paul of Tarsus with the 'Judaisers', persons who believed that to be a good Christian you had to obey the old Jewish Law: "I am astonished at the promptness with which you have decided to follow a different version of the Good News, some troublemakers among you want to change the Good News of Christ." (Gal 1:6,7.) Saul the Pharisee had his conversion on the road to Damascus and spent the rest of his life preaching against those who believed that salvation would come through following the Jewish Law. Jesus had said plainly that "No one puts new wine into old wineskins", and these Judaisers were trying to do just that!
Today's Jamaica is filled with Judaisers, who call themselves Christians but teach everyone to follow the Old Law. They behave as if they are under the Old Covenant, rather than are children of the New Covenant. This death penalty matter is one clear issue over which the Old Law and the New Law clash! And, that is why these so-called Christians continue to quote from the Old Testament to justify their positions.
Guardian of the Old Law
What is really interesting is that even the modern state of Israel, the guardian of the Old Law, the Old Covenant and the Old Testament, has abolished the death penalty! These false Christians will now have to argue that even modern Jews do not understand their own Scriptures!
To those ministers of religion, who offered to take the job of hangman, I say: Beware you lead your flock astray by changing the Good News of Christ. There is a special punishment reserved for such people (read on in Galatians). When Jesus invited the one, who was without sin, to cast the first stone at the woman taken in adultery (Jn 7:7) he was the only one there without sin! And he didn't cast the stone! We are supposed to be followers of Jesus. What these false shepherds offering themselves as hangmen are saying is that they would pick up the stone and throw it! Shame!
A serious matter
This conscience vote is a serious matter, and I urge all our MPs, Government and Opposition, to pray about how they are going to vote, and to reason it out. Don't play politics with life. It is your duty to act out of acumen and astuteness, not outrage or panic! And, please, do not try and justify the death penalty by quoting Scripture. The devil can do a better job of that.
Peter Espeut is a sociologist and a Roman Catholic deacon. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.