Mandatory death sentence abolition needs further scrutiny - minister

 

De facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan said the proposal to abolish mandatory death sentences needs to be scrutinised in detail by the government before any decisions are made.

“The proposal to abolish the mandatory death sentence as recommended by the special committee to review alternative sentences to the mandatory death penalty needs thorough examination by the government before a decision can be made about it.

“All recommendations by the committee on alternative punishments for the mandatory death sentence and the recommendations to improve the Malaysian justice system in the short- and long-term are still being refined,” he said.

“Any policy changes regarding the death sentence will take into account the needs of and benefits for the rakyat as a whole.

“This includes any aspects related to crime prevention, the effect on the victims’ families as well as public awareness,” Takiyuddin said in a written parliamentary reply on Nov 5.

He was responding to Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, who had asked the Prime Minister’s Department whether the government will continue with the previous Pakatan Harapan administration’s efforts to abolish the mandatory death sentence.

On Oct 10, 2018, then de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong said the Harapan government had imposed a moratorium on the death penalty as they sought to review capital punishment.

On Feb 11, 2020, Liew said the special committee to review alternative sentences to the mandatory death penalty had submitted its report to the government.

At that time, Liew said his office was studying the report, and a cabinet paper on the findings and recommendations would be tabled before the cabinet for its deliberation.

However, at the end of Feb 2020, the Harapan government fell and was replaced by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government. - Mkini