Abolish death penalty as it only punishes regular people: Nazri

KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (Padang Rengas-BN) has urged the government to abolish the death penalty for narcotics-related offences as the punishment is only meted out against regular people and not drug lords.

During the second reading of the Budget 2022 debate in the Dewan Rakyat today, Nazri said drug mules were usually among those from the kampung, the less educated, and the poor.

He added that he was referring to the widely publicised case of intellectually challenged Malaysian citizen Nagaenthran Dharmalingam who is on death row in Singapore.

While thanking Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob for writing in to his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong to seek leniency for Nagaenthran, Nazri said the case also highlighted the issue of mandatory death penalties under the Dangerous Drugs Act.

He added that the government is thankful to neighbouring Singapore, which is willing to consider Ismail Sabri’s appeal, although Malaysia does not have the moral high ground when it comes to the death penalty.

He said although the death penalty came long before the current members of Dewan Rakyat became parliamentarians, the present lawmakers had the power to change this.

“We are in the position to repeal the death sentence. We have the power to sit down and stop this.”

Nazri, who was law minister between 2004 and 2013, pointed to one of his successors, Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, who in August last year told the Dewan Rakyat that a total of 918 inmates are on death row for drug offences.

Out of the 918 inmates, 472 are Malaysians and the remaining 446 are non-citizens.

“For the non-citizens, if their governments appeal to us for pardoning or clemency and make representations to our government, what action will we take? We need to solve this and sort it out (once and for all).

“To me, if the death sentence is given to our government to implement, we know it will be taking lives, which is wrong. It’s not right to take a life that is precious and a gift from God.

“What makes this government (so) special (that it can take lives)? It is not logical or consistent. If normal people cannot take lives, what right does the government have?”

Nazri said he was disappointed with the government’s decision to retract the moratorium on death penalties in 2019.

“Those usually hanged are not drug lords, but drug mules from the kampung, the less intelligent, and the poor who do not (make big) profits apart from being drug mules.”

Nazri added that Ismail Sabri’s actions in seeking leniency for Nagaenthran reflected on the spirit of Keluarga Malaysia.

“I once again congratulate the prime minister for doing so, even without the moral high ground. He had to be thick-skinned, knowing that drug offences mean death in Malaysia.” – The Vibes, November 10, 2021