MM Online - Minister: Death penalty may not totally go, Cabinet weighing two other options (extracts)
KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 ― The federal government might not fully abolish the death penalty as previously proposed and is considering two other options, Datuk Liew Vui Keong said.
Liew said the government expanded the initial proposal to include the alternative following feedback from non-governmental organisations, families of crime victims and convicts on death row, as well as from the Home Ministry's own findings.
Liew, whose portfolio covers legal affairs, said the three options relating to death penalty will be presented to the Cabinet this month.
“I believe that Cabinet will make a moderate decision,” he was quoted saying in an interview with local daily Sin Chew Daily.
Liew said the first option is for the “total abolition” of the death penalty for 33 criminal offences covered in eight Acts, replacing it with life imprisonment instead.
These eight laws are the Penal Code, Firearms (Heavier Penalties) Act 1971, Firearms Act 1960, Kidnapping Act 1961, Armed Forces Act 1972, Water Services Industries Act 2006, Strategic Trade Act 2010, and the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
The second option is for the death penalty to be non-mandatory for crimes such as murder, with judges gaining the discretion to alternatively sentence convicts to life imprisonment.
The third option involves only abolishing the mandatory death sentence for the offence of trafficking in dangerous drugs under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act, and changing it to life imprisonment of 30 years, Sin Chew Daily reported.
The so-called feedback which has now influenced the Pakatan government into a shameful backdown from a civilised humanitarian abolishment of the cruel and barbaric death penalty is not as Minister Liew claimed, namely, feedback from non-governmental organisations, families of crime victims and convicts on death row, as well as from the Home Ministry's own findings, but rather, the two consecutive by-elections losses in Cameron Highlands and Semenyih.
That is Pakatan's shameful disgrace, where human lives are disregarded for political interests. Mahathir's Pribumi is an ultra conservative poilitical party which members like the conservative Heartland they are courting do not believe in abolishing the death penalty.
Abolishing such a barbaric act of state sanctioned murder does not and should not require nonsensical feedback from emotional constituencies especially family members of murdered victims for fCking obvious reasons that emotional people do not make balanced and well-considered opinions.
Civilised legal acts rather require strong humane courageous leadership but which it seems, Pakatan leaders grossly lack.
Next time when Pakatan leaders want to eff, make sure their desired lustful bonking is approved by fCking feedback from the public.