So the people who are supposedly in charge are having a debate and are about to have what they call a conscience vote on whether or not to keep or remove the death penalty.

What a farce, My Friend P said.

A farce, we believe, because where is this all heading, and why in heaven's name does this debate matter if we have the death penalty on the books now but have failed to enforce it in 20 years! So, we are trying to process what is all the fuss about.

People are frantically debating about the flaws of the justice system and the fear of innocent people being put to death. But let me write it again: There has not been a hanging in Jamaica in 20 years. So good or bad justice system, guess what: we know that no innocent or guilty murder accused has suffered the ultimate punishment in two decades.

But now, as children are being killed for sport, women are being raped for brownie points and the sounds of gunshots are processed by our children as interesting special effects on background music all across the isle, our 60 elected leaders are going to have a conscience vote on something that, as a law, we have been incapable of enforcing from before the origin of the Internet as we know it.

It is nearly funny. But we won't laugh.

Conscience vote

We will go on to figure out some more what they say they are going to do. They are going to have a conscience vote. They are going to give permission for people to vote across party lines. What you really need to read into this is, that, for the second time in the history of our Parliament, our elected officials are going to be honest and true in making a decision about the affairs of the people. Oh I didn't tell you that they did this death penalty conscience vote lark before? Oh yes! They have, back in the '70s. There were the doves and hawks, I think they were called. And the death penalty remained.

Except for then, on all other occasions there has been no moral compass within the souls of our leaders that made them make the right decisions - made them make conscious decisions from within the core of their souls defining what we know to be right or wrong. Voting party first came out head and shoulders above everything else. Which makes our system of governance ludicrous to say the least - don't you think?

Oh no, by their own admission this week our politicians are about to do something special - step out of their snake skins and behave nearly human. They are about to be honest and vote truth. Our leaders have been granted permission [to themselves] to be honest to themselves in making a decision - they can take a conscience vote. Amazing.

My leaning in this issue is that the death penalty must remain as Jamaica is not a civilised country. But if we are going to have the bloody law on the books but never enforce it, then take it off and let's move on.

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