Act still to be proclaimed

Anna Ramdass
aramdass@trinidadexpress.com
Thursday, January 10th 2008

Legislation to deal with dangerous dogs in this country has been lying around for the past seven years waiting to be proclaimed by the President.

In 2000, under the United National Congress government, then attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj piloted to Parliament an act entitled "The Dangerous Dogs Act, 2000", to provide for regulating the keeping of dangerous dogs which present a serious danger to the public, to make further provision for ensuring that such dogs are kept under proper control and for connected purposes.

The act was debated in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and was passed.
In order for a bill or act to become law, however, it must be proclaimed by the President.
The UNC government demitted office and never proclaimed the act. The People's National Movement government has been in power for the past six years and also failed to proclaim the act.

Under the act, where a dangerous dog injures a person, the owner or keeper of the dog commits an offence and is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for five years.

The act also states that where a dangerous dog kills a person, the owner or keeper of the dog commits an offence and is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine of $200,000 and to imprisonment for ten years.

The act states that a person who incites a dog to attack another person commits an offence and is liable, in addition to any other penalties he may incur under the act, on summary conviction to a fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for one year. The act also prohibits persons from importing and breeding dangerous dogs. If a person does so then he or she is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine of $100,000 and two years imprisonment.

Persons who breed dangerous dogs and advertise them for sale or even give as a gift a dangerous dog also faced penalties under the act-a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for two years.

If the act had been proclaimed within three months of coming into force, every owner of a dangerous dog would have been required to register that dog to the authorities.

It seems as though any fockin Bill that was passed by the UNC whilst in Gov't is totally neglected by this fockin duncee ass nigga fockin PNM administration.

The same thing happened to the fockin Equal Opp. Bill. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Act and so many others.

These fockin illiterate niggas feel they have the divine right to rule this fockin land and despite the fact that a legitimate Parliament passed these fockin Bills, they apparently have no intention of honouring them.

Wa the mudder cont the President doin that he so fockin busy that he cyah proclaim the Act. Like if the proclamation is this big fockin process.

Fock man.