KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) –  St Vincent and the Grenadines parliament has approved legislation making it an offence to consume alcohol in a funeral procession, but stopped  short of preventing the consumption of alcohol at a cemetery because the government said the boundaries of cemeteries are not clearly defined.

The 13 government lawmakers, including the country’s Attorney General, Grenville Williams, who were present, voted in support of the law, which could see violators arrested and fined up to EC$200 (J$11,536.02).

The opposition did not support the bill, arguing that while it does not support the consumption of alcohol in funeral processions, the law will create more problems than the one it proposes to address.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, who piloted the bill, asked for a division of the House when it was time to vote. Opposition Leader Godwin Friday, who had argued against the bill, was not present when the vote was taken.

In his contribution to the debate, Friday, who is also a lawyer, questioned the rationale of the law, noting that Gonsalves had suggested that it, like many other similar pre-existing laws, would not be enforced.

In presenting the Public Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 for debate, Gonsalves, who is also Minister of Legal Affairs, described the legislation as “straightforward”.

“It creates an offence of unlawful possession or consumption of intoxicating liquor while being part of a funeral procession through a highway, road or another thoroughfare,” said Gonsalves.

He said the penalty for the offence, on summary conviction, is a fine not exceeding EC$200, adding that under the new law, intoxicating liquor means the same as in the Liquor Licence Act.

The prime minister pointed out that an offence is committed only if the alcohol container is unsealed.

“… and the powers of the police officer, in addition to being able to charge you for that offence, for having possession or consuming the intoxicating liquor, that you may be arrested without a warrant, if, in the opinion of the police officer, it is necessary to do so for the safety of any person,” he said.

Gonsalves added that the law has become necessary because of “the factual situation where, increasingly, in funeral processions, people are seen with beers, rum drinking and shouting and not involved in anything concerning the solemnity of a funeral procession or even the celebration in song of the life of the person whom we are burying.

“This is just a matter of drinking rum and treating the funeral procession as if it’s a mas band, that you having carnival,” Gonsalves said.

“And there’s something which offends the sensibility of our people and the solemnity. Yet joy, music and all that is part of our way of celebrating and commemorating the life of somebody who has died and whom we are burying.”

The prime minister told Parliament that there are situations where people have carts in funeral processions selling beers for three for EC$10.

Gonsalves dismissed the suggestion that the new law would consume a lot of police resources to enforce, noting that there are several pre-existing offences related to drunkenness and religion that “the police don’t take up a lot of time with it.