Dewan Rakyat passes abolition of mandatory death sentence

PARLIAMENT | The Dewan Rakyat has passed the abolition of the mandatory death penalty by a voice vote.

In tabling the bill for its second reading today, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Ramkarpal Singh said data has shown there is no recidivism rate for criminals who were let off the death sentence.

He also said there has been no research that proves the efficacy of the death sentence in preventing crimes.

Meanwhile, Ramkarpal pointed out that there is no taking back a death sentence, once it is meted out, and that every individual deserves a right to life.

During the debates, several lawmakers raised the issue of compensation for families of victims as well as the possibility of letting hardcore criminals get off with light sentences due to the abolition of the mandatory death penalty.

In his winding-up, Ramkarpal stressed that the abolition of the mandatory death penalty does not mean capital punishment does not exist in Malaysia anymore.

Instead, this will vest judges with the discretion to mete out appropriate sentences proportional to the crime that was committed, including the death sentence if deemed necessary.

Alternative sentences include 30 to 40 years of imprisonment and whipping.

Ramkarpal also pointed out that there exists a court mechanism that allows judges to take the testimonies of the victims’ families into consideration when it comes to compensation.

Earlier today in Parliament, a group of families of murder victims expressed strong opposition to any efforts to abolish the mandatory death penalty clause.

Other groups opposing the effort were also present. Kedah Pembela Ummah chairperson Noor Hakimi Abd Halim had argued that abolishing the mandatory death penalty could lead to retaliatory killings and warned it may embolden murderers.

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