BY ELLISIA TINGASS
KUCHING: Parliament unanimously passed a bill recently to abolish the mandatory death penalty for some offences but the decision evoked a mixed response from the public.
There are some who said the mandatory death penalty should be retained.
The Dewan Negara will now take up the legislation, and if it is approved, the bill will be sent to the king to be signed into law.
The bill, which applies to 34 offences that are punishable by death, including murder and drug trafficking, gives judges the option to jail those convicted up to 40 years in place of the mandatory death penalty.
New Sarawak Tribune spoke to some of the locals, including a lecture and three students.
Fadzillah Aishah Ismail, 42, lecturer
“Personally, I am not in favour of abolishing the death sentence. I believe we need to look at the nature of the act. Did the accused kill the victim for the purpose of defending himself or herself, or was his or her own life in danger? Based on my experience as a court reporter before, there are cases of murders that are committed without intention, among which may be because the accused is ‘forced’ while there are cases of murders that are committed with intent. Yes, the death penalty does not guarantee a reduction in crime rate in Malaysia, and prison sentences can provide a chance for criminals to change their lives and return to their families. But how can we be certain that this will not happen again?”
Noor Ainun Jariah, 22, student
“I would definitely say it is a more humane decision. Depending on the crime committed however, everyone should be given a second chance to at least experience life as a repentant. The death penalty could destroy someone’s mental health as they would lose their will to live or a sense of purpose. It’s about time our government abolished the death penalty.”
Judy Macliss Anit, 23, student
“I might not agree to the abolition of the mandatory death sentence. I am afraid this will increase the crime rate in Malaysia.”
Farah Zulaikha
“Actually, I quite disagree with the mandatory death sentence, but then again the mandatory death sentence is only for serious crimes, including murder and terrorism. I think if there is no mandatory death sentence there would be more crime cases in the country, such as drug trafficking.”
