Allahar: Government needs public support for stand-your-ground law

Government senator Darrell Allahar addresses the media at President's House on May 22. - File photo by Faith Ayoung

LEADER OF Government Business in the Senate Darrell Allahar says government may have a challenge when it comes to passing stand-your-ground legislation because of the two-thirds majority needed to do so.

He made the comment during a public consultation at Debe Junction on August 5.

Allahar said, "We have a few detractors but we don’t want to give the detractors any ammunition to detract from the conversation."

He added, "You have certain elements who don't want this thing to change."

Allahar told the audience the path to pass the legislation "will not be an easy road because we need to get a two thirds majority in both houses in Parliament."

A two thirds majority in the House of Representatives means 27 votes.

The UNC has 26 seats in the House. The opposition PNM has 13 seats and the Tobago People's Party (TPP) has two. The TPP is expected to vote with the UNC whenever the bill comes to Parliament.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said the legislation would come to Parliament in September.

However, it may not be dealt with before the presentation of the 2025/2026 budget which should happen in September, shortly after the Parliament returns from its mid-year recess.

In the Senate, a two-thirds majority means 21 votes. Government has 15 votes in the Senate, the opposition has six and the independents have nine.

To pass the legislation in the Senate, government will need at least six of the nine independent senators to vote with them.

The PNM is unlikely to support the legislation.

Referring to government senator Anil Roberts, Allahar told his audience that Roberts could attest to the challenge government will face to pass the legislation in the Senate.

He did not identify any non-government senator who could oppose he bill.

Allahar said the reason the UNC was having the public consultations was because it wanted the public give their comments on the bill.

"We are taking the fight to the Parliament but you have to help us outside."

He said UNC supporters and other citizens should write letters to the editor and post their support for the bill on social media.

"You have to be proud of UNC and proud of your government."

During the consultation, Allahar said the legislation was not linked to easier access for legal firearms which was another UNC election campaign promise.

"This stands by itself because not everybody has a firearm...not everybody could use a firearm...not everybody wants a firearm."

He repeated, "That's not the policy to give every single person a firearm."

Allahar also repeated the legislation proposes to make home invasion a criminal offence with a fine $500,000 fine and imprisonment for 20 years.

He said the bill will also create an offence of aggravated home invasion which will carry a fine of $750,000 and imprisonment for 25 years.

Allahar added this offence involves instances where home invasion is committed by a members of a criminal gang or in the presence of a child or an elderly person.

The bill, he continued, will also spell out instances where the use of lethal force will not be illegal.