The government only agreed to abolish the “mandatory” death sentence, those found smuggling drugs and causing harm to people can still be sent to the gallows, said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob
He said the death penalty will remain, but the judges will have discretion in sentencing.
Ismail explained, only the “mandatory” sentence to be removed, so that Judges would no longer be bound by the word (mandatory) which had left them with no choice but to impose the death penalty on criminal offenders as provided by law, such as in drug trafficking cases.
The prime minister’s remarks came after law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar announced earlier today that the government had agreed to abolish the “mandatory death penalty” and substitute it with other sort of punishment according to the discretion of the court.
“We are of the view that everyone deserves a second chance. If there are two options (of sentences), and if the offender is found to be a hardcore drug trafficker to the extent of causing hundreds of thousands of people to die (due to drugs), he can be sentenced to death and allowed to be sent to the gallows.
“However, if the judge, in his discretion, felt that the offender should be given a second chance and decided to sentence him to life imprisonment with whipping, he can substitute the mandatory death penalty with life sentence,” Ismail said.
