Malaysia will be sending Singapore a letter of representation to protest the impending execution of Malaysian national Michael Anak Garing (above) there this Friday.
“I think we made the same representation to the Singapore government previously on the execution of Prabu if you all remember. Singapore took the stand they have a law to be complied with.
“We have to respect their decision on that particular issue,” de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.
Liew was referring to the case of 31-year-old Prabu N Pathmanathan, who was sentenced to death for trafficking 227.82g of heroin into the island state on Dec 31, 2014.
It was reported last year that Liew was to pen a letter to the Singapore government asking it to commute Prabu's death sentence to life imprisonment.
However, this was rejected and Prabu was executed on the morning of Oct 26.
Pressed this morning on the matter of 30-year-old Michael who was convicted of murder in the island state back in 2015, the minister said Malaysia “will continue to send its representation and protest on this particular issue.”
“Like what we have done before,” he added.
When it was pointed out the Sarawakian’s sentence was slated to be carried out this Friday, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department acknowledged that he had only just come to know of the case and that he would “work on it”.
“Of course, it's at the mercy of the president of Singapore to give a decision on whether to commute or not. We can write to the president on what we have to say,” he said.
Michael had been part of a gang that severely injured three persons and killed a fourth in a slashing spree in Kallang, Singapore in 2010.
He was convicted of murder by the Singapore High Court in 2015 and sentenced to death, while another suspect, Tony Imba, was sentenced to life in prison. Michael's conviction was affirmed by the Court of Appeal in 2017.
Yesterday, Lawyers for Liberty adviser N Surendran called for a halt to the execution, saying that Singaporean authorities had given inadequate notice - just eight days - to Michael’s family ahead of the hanging.
"It gives the family scant time to spend with Michael in his final days, and to make preparations," Surendran had said.
The former lawmaker also stated that while Michael had committed a serious crime which warranted severe punishment, Singapore was answering his crime “with an even greater wrong” by executing him. - Mkini
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