KUALA LUMPUR: The government will not take a half-hearted approach in its move to abolish the death penalty.
This was the pledge made by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law) Liew Vui Keong, who said the government remains determined in its bid to abolish capital punishment.
He stressed that there will be no referendum taken on the issue to decide its future.
Speaking to reporters at Parliament lobby here on Monday, Liew said details on the abolishment is still being finalised. The government, he said, hopes to table the amendments during the current Dewan Rakyat sitting.
He said while the government is firm on proceeding with the death sentence abolishment, it nevertheless understood the opposition against such a move, especially by families of victims of perpetrators who are now on death row.
“I can understand the feelings of the victims, it is very painful. But if there is a government intention to abolish (death penalty), we cannot do it half-heartedly... not abolishing for one offence and abolishing for another,” he said.
Liew also said that there are now 1,267 prisoners on death row nationwide, with around 900 inmates facing execution for drug-related offences under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
He also noted that on drug-related offences, there have not been any executions because the respective heads of each state in Malaysia have not signed the execution orders.
He said with the government-sanctioned moratorium in place, this will ensure that the death sentence will be studied for the necessary adjustments by the Pardons Board.
“This does not mean that they (the offenders) will be free; they will have to serve sentences,” he said.
Liew added that each state also has its own Pardons Board including the Federal Territories, which makes it 13 in total.
On Sunday, Liew said the death penalty would be replaced with a sentence of a minimum of 30 years behind bars.
He said this could take place in the proposed amendment to Section 39 (B) of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952, for instance, where a convicted offender was subjected to the mandatory death sentence.
In addition, there are also 17 other criminal offences that imposed the death sentence.
These offences include waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, terrorism, murder, attempted murder during a life imprisonment, killing victims during kidnapping, possessing and using firearms as well as rape leading to death and rape of minors.