KUALA LUMPUR – A special committee to examine the proposal to abolish the death penalty will soon submit its findings to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
Wan Junaidi, in a statement today, said that he will then present the committee’s findings to the cabinet and the final decision will be made after the cabinet has been briefed on the matter.
“There have been repeated calls to abolish the death penalty. As minister, my role is to assess the effectiveness of these punishments as a deterrent. We must study this thoroughly before we come to a decision.
“We also need to see if the rehabilitation of convicts, if possible, would be the better option and in the best interests of the greater society,” he said.
He said the committee was established in 2019 to gauge the public’s response to the proposal as well as to examine the ramifications of such a decision, saying it was tasked to look at the issue from several angles, taking into consideration the views of various stakeholders.
“One critical remit was to evaluate the effectiveness of capital punishment as a deterrent,” said the minister.
Meanwhile, he said the study was consonant with the government’s aspirations to rehabilitate criminals where possible and later integrate them back into their respective communities as valuable members of society.
“If they have done their time, paid their dues, shown genuine remorse for what they have done and have been completely rehabilitated, we should not close the door on them,” he said.
According to the statement, the bill to amend laws on the death penalty, as well as other relevant laws, is expected to be tabled in Parliament by the third quarter of 2022. – Bernama, December 29, 2021
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