Padang Rengas MP Nazri Abdul Aziz has pledged to help Putrajaya obtain opposition support to abolish the death penalty, according to Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran.

"Nazri reiterated his stand for the abolition of the death penalty in Malaysia and urged us all to fiercely support it.

"He further said he will get the opposition to support the abolition of the death penalty. He further reiterated that the abolition bill must be debated and approved, if possible, in this sitting of Parliament," the minister said in a statement today.

The statement was issued in Kulasegaran's capacity as the new chair of the Malaysian chapter of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA).

He had taken over the post from Nazri – who held the position for a decade – two days ago.

Kulasegaran also stated that PGA Malaysia will hold a two-day seminar on the death penalty in Asia on Oct 30 and 31, which will feature lawmakers from other countries in the region.

He added that de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong and Dewan Rakyat speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof will both speak at the seminar.

Putrajaya has already placed a moratorium on capital punishment. 

Liew previously said that if the penalty is abolished, those on death row will have to start a fresh life sentence.