Anti-death penalty advocate says it can be retained if it involves kids

PETALING JAYA: Following the deaths of a raped nine-month-old baby and an abused three-year-old, an MP who has been advocating the abolition of the death penalty now says such punishment should be retained in “exceptional” cases.

In a Facebook post, DAP’s Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said that even though he had always advocated doing away with capital punishment, cases like the recent deaths of the two children justified the retention of the death penalty.

He said the death penalty should be “retained to a certain extent” in cases of gruesome murders, especially those involving children, provided the evidence against the offenders were beyond any reasonable doubt.

Ramkarpal was commenting on reports stating that a baby girl in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, died after allegedly being raped and sodomised by her caretaker’s husband. A boy also died after allegedly being abused by his stepfather in Kuala Lumpur.

“I also note the concerns of families of murder victims recently that the abolition of the death penalty may send the wrong signal that such crimes are not being taken seriously enough. We cannot ignore such concerns.”

Ramkarpal, who is DAP’s national Legal Bureau chairman, said it should be left to the courts to impose the death penalty in the most heinous of cases.

“The court will be able to consider each case based on the peculiar facts and circumstances. If the circumstances warrant it, impose the death penalty.

“Such discretion will also allow the court to consider any mitigating factors which may favour an accused in sparing them from the death penalty.”

Ramkarpal acknowledged that this would not be easy, but those who committed acts of gruesome murders cannot escape the long arm of the law.

“The state has a duty to protect such helpless victims and the courts should be empowered to do so.”

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong said last month that a bill to abolish the death penalty was expected to be tabled at the ongoing Dewan Rakyat sitting.  - FMT