“By any means necessary!”
The words of Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs Senator David Nakhid, as he justified why citizens should have the right to defend themselves against home invaders at all costs.
He was speaking at the 13th Sitting of the Senate on Friday, where The Home Invasion (Self-Defence and Defence of Property) Bill 2025 was read for a second time.
“If I find in my house, brown leprechaun or not, on a pink unicorn, by any means necessary, you getting it. By any means necessary to protect my wife and my children, you getting it.”
Senator Nakhid was responding to Temporary Opposition Senator Larry Lalla, who argued that human rights will be violated under the Stand Your Ground law. Mr. Lalla noted that even a home invader has the right to life under Section 4A of the Constitution.
Minister Nakhid reminded the Senate of the trauma that is suffered when one is placed in the predicament and shared his personal experience.
“Because at that point in time, you disrespect my people, disrespect me, we fight, and I see you turn around in your car. He would later say he turn around to pull out his ID that he was in the defence force or the army. I’m not studying that. I felt my life was under danger. I went to jail, other than the five nights and six days they like to talk about, I went to jail for 15 minutes. When the police asked me what happened, I didn’t last 15 minutes in that station because they understand when your life and the life of your people are in danger, return fire, by any means necessary, by any means necessary.”
Also making a contribution was Independent Senator Alicia Pauline Lalite-Ettienne, who questioned if our culture is ready for such a law.
“Are we ready for it? Are our security systems ready for it? Do we need to be sensitised because I have been hearing from previous contributions that this has to be put in place, and this security will be put in place, and the terms are ‘will be put in place.’ It’s not like ‘currently being put in place.'”