diff --git a/contrib/py-bindings/Makefile b/contrib/py-bindings/Makefile
index f68ac43cc..01b703698 100644
--- a/contrib/py-bindings/Makefile
+++ b/contrib/py-bindings/Makefile
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ src=../../src
 import=-i$src/runtime/haskell:$src/compiler
 cbind=../c-bindings
 pythoninc=/usr/include/python2.5
+debug=-optc '-DDEBUG=1'
 
 conf:
 	ln -s $(cbind)/PGFFFI.hs
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ gf.so:  PGFFFI.hs gfmodule.c
 	gf --make ../../examples/tutorial/embedded/QueryEng.gf
 	ghc $(import) --make -fglasgow-exts -O2 -no-hs-main -c $<
 	ghc -O2 --make -fglasgow-exts -no-hs-main -optl '-shared' \
-	 -optc '-DMODULE=PGFFFI' -optc '-I$(pythoninc)' -o $@ $^
+	 -optc '-DMODULE=PGFFFI' $(debug) -optc '-I$(pythoninc)' -o $@ $^
 clean:
 	rm -f *.hi  *.o
 	rm -f *_stub.*
@@ -20,4 +21,4 @@ clean:
 superclean: 
 	make clean
 	rm -f PGFFFI.hs pgf.h Query.pgf
-	rm -f gf.so
\ No newline at end of file
+	rm -f gf.so
diff --git a/contrib/py-bindings/gfmodule.c b/contrib/py-bindings/gfmodule.c
index e70db604d..5ed4f1851 100644
--- a/contrib/py-bindings/gfmodule.c
+++ b/contrib/py-bindings/gfmodule.c
@@ -32,15 +32,28 @@
 #define NEWGF(OBJ,GFTYPE,TYPE,NAME,DOC) NEWOBJECT(OBJ,GFTYPE)	\
 NEWTYPE(TYPE,NAME,OBJ,DOC)
 
+#ifdef DEBUG
 #define DEALLOCFN(delname,t,cb,cbname) static void \
 delname(t *self){ cb(self->obj);\
 	printf("gf_%s has been called for stable pointer 0x%x\n", cbname, self->obj);\
 	self->ob_type->tp_free((PyObject*)self); }
+#else
+#define DEALLOCFN(delname,t,cb,cbname) static void \
+delname(t *self){ cb(self->obj);\
+	self->ob_type->tp_free((PyObject*)self); }
+#endif
 
+#ifdef DEBUG
 #define REPRCB(cbid,t,gfcb) static PyObject* \
 cbid(t *self) { \
 	const char *str = gfcb(self->obj); \
  	return PyString_FromFormat("0x%x: %s", self->obj, str); }
+#else
+#define REPRCB(cbid,t,gfcb) static PyObject* \
+cbid(t *self) { \
+	const char *str = gfcb(self->obj); \
+ 	return PyString_FromString(str); }
+#endif
 
 /* utilities */
 
diff --git a/contrib/py-bindings/script.py b/contrib/py-bindings/script.py
index 885174f8b..6eb12d5e1 100644
--- a/contrib/py-bindings/script.py
+++ b/contrib/py-bindings/script.py
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ import gf
 query = gf.read_pgf("Query.pgf")
 lang = gf.read_language('QueryEng')
 cat = query.startcat()
-print 'start category:',cat
+print 'start category:', cat
+print 'language is:', lang
 lexed = "is 2 prime"
 print "Parsing '%s':" % lexed
 for e in query.parse(lexed, lang):