Colleagues of Government Minister Jack Warner yesterday distanced themselves from his personal campaign to lobby national support, via a petition, for the hanging bill.

On Wednesday, Warner launched the campaign in his constituency where he also dismissed public perception that he was unpopular with the Government and being sidelined by his political colleagues, saying to the media: "So what?"

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar also made it clear on Wednesday that Warner was on his own with his venture as it was not Government policy.

The question was posed yesterday to Government ministers Bhoendradatt Tewarie, Winston "Gypsy" Peters and Vernella Alleyne-Toppin on whether they would be willing to sign Warner's petition to resume hangings.

They were all guarded in their responses, saying any decision on the death penalty must come from Cabinet, collectively.

"My personal view has nothing to do with the collective responsibility I have in Cabinet. Whatever my colleagues in Cabinet agree to do, we will all have to take responsibility for it, and that's what I am prepared to do," said Peters.

Peters said it is hard for him to split his public and private life.

However, he added, "I'm a public figure in public life; I'm a Government Minister, so whatever I do, I think it has to be done in that context."

Tewarie noted that Warner is also the parliamentary representative for Chaguanas West.

"Minister Warner is both Minister of Government, Minister of Works and Infrastructure, but he's also a constituency representative, so I suppose to the extent that he is a parliamentary representative of the people, he has taken an initiative," he said.

"As Minister Peters indicated, any decision we take on the death penalty will be from the point of view of Cabinet, and we will have to carry collective responsibility on that. I could express my personal view, but this is not appropriate for this," he added.

Alleyne-Toppin supported her fellow ministers.

"I do concur with my colleagues here; we are responsible to the nation as a Cabinet and as a Government, and we have a position that we will agree on," she said.

The People's Partnership Government brought the hanging bill to Parliament last year, but it was not passed because of a lack of support from the Opposition, which claimed the bill was fundamentally flawed.

Warner's campaign, called "A Fisherman's Cry", comes in the aftermath of the murders of three fishermen from Felicity, Chaguanas, last month.