KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (Pandan-PH) called on the government to impose a moratorium on criminalising suicide in light of the tremendous depression that has hit many Malaysians stemming from the various lockdowns and Covid-19.
The PKR stalwart reiterated the call she had made in 2019 when she was the women, family, and community development minister, that suicide should never be considered a crime.
“Suicide attempts shouldn’t be classified as a crime,” she said at the Dewan Rakyat’s special session today.
“It’s a mental illness. They need help, especially a good support system.
“The MCOs have created loneliness and depression to those locked in their homes. This can be the reason they are committing suicide. We don’t want this in our society.
“If they (the suicidal) succeed, they will die. But if they don’t succeed, they have to pay a fine or compound,” she said, pointing at how impractical and ineffectual the criminalisation is.
She added that the issue must be addressed holistically and Putrajaya must look at the source of the problems faced by the individuals who commit suicide or are prone to do so .
Dr Wan Azizah, who is also a qualified medical doctor, observed that public housing units are not conducive towards fostering mental health among the poor, especially when they are cooped up in small confines with each other without any outlet or escape.
She pointed to problems like domestic violence that emanate due to such conditions.
“Have we looked at the housing factor? A public housing unit only has two bedrooms when it should have three bedrooms.
“This will make it more Islamic – one bedroom for the parents, one for the boys, and one for the girls,” she said.
Dr Wan Azizah also stressed that the government overlooked certain factors when it provided food baskets and assistance to those most affected by the economic downturn.
“When we give them food baskets, do we check if they have (cooking) gas?
“If it’s gone, how are they going to cook the food we’ve given them? This has a negative impact on the mental health of the people,” she said.
It was reported that 468 suicides were recorded nationwide in the first five months of 2021, as the virus spread increased and the economic situation worsened.
This constituted nearly 77% of the total suicides logged throughout 2019 (609 cases) and 74% seen in the whole of 2020 (631). – The Vibes, 27 July, 2021
