Lawyer: Let’s not be swayed

 By ELIZABETH VUVU

A SENIOR State prosecutor has suggested that the death penalty be imposed only on very serious murder cases.

“Let us tackle problems according to how we Papua New Guineans think we should impose the penalty and not be influenced by other countries and weigh out what is right and wrong,” Lukara Rangan, of the public prosecutor’s office in Kokopo, said.

“We can use Christianity and other ways as a reference point but at the end of the day let us think about beefing up our society in PNG the way we want our future generation to live, a just and peaceful society.

“Let us be very careful with suggestion being made by other countries because at the end of the day we will be feeling the pinch of these problems and not others.”

Lawyer Donald Wesley in ENB said the death penalty should not be imposed even on violent crimes 

“Every life is sacred and whoever takes a life away will have to answer to God,” Wesley said.

“When you kill someone, you create anger among relatives. But then when the State kills you as a punishment, I do not think it will act as a deterrent but probably hostility among relatives.”