Malaysia should join the global trend & move towards abolition of death penalty...

What is wonderful is that there is growing global trend towards the abolition of the death penalty, and the UN General Assembly resolution over the last few years have seen more and more countries in favour of abolition, and less and less countries voting against.

Good news also is that Malaysia is reviewing the usage of the death penalty - and we all can pray and hope that they will opt in favour of abolition. The first step would be for the provision of alternative sentences that judges could resort to for offences that now only provide 1 mandatory sentence, i.e. the death penalty. The giving of life and the ending of life should not a matter dictated by people and/or their governments. In the modern world, when there is options available - i.e. life imprisonment which would extend to death, etc - there is really no more reason to resort to the death penalty. Given the possibility of errors, it is far better the save the life of a guilty person, than to put to death an innocent person.

The Government has no plans at the moment to abolish the death sentence but will listen to views from all parties who are against capital punishment, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk V.K. Liew.

"Suggestions will be given consideration from all aspects. In-depth study will be done, as abolishing the death peanlty would have a great impact on the judicial system of the country," he told Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh (BN-Kangar) during question time in Parliament Wednesday.Star, 1/12/2010, No plans to abolish death sentence, but Govt willing to hear views [Wondering what PKR's and PAS's position is on the Death Penalty - they should call for its abolition.]

 

22/12/2010 :- The 2010 , the United Nations General Assembly resolution in favour of a universal moratorium on the death penalty : 108 countries voted in favour, with 41 against and 36 abstentions.

2008 resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty was adopted,on December 18, 2008,  by a recorded vote of 106 in favour to46 against, with 34 abstentions

2007 resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty (document A/62/439/Add.2) was adopted, on adopted, on December 18, 2007, ;by a recorded vote of 104 in favour to 54 against, with 29 abstentions

NEW RESOLUTION APPROVED BY THE UN. THE PRO MORATORIUM FRONT GROWS

December 22, 2010: The United Nations General Assembly yesterday approved a new resolution in favour of a universal moratorium on the death penalty. It is the third time after the historic resolution approved in December 2007 and then again in December 2008.

108 countries voted in favour, with 41 against and 36 abstentions (another 7 countries were absent at the time of the vote). It recorded a decisive step forward compared to 2007 when in a plenary assembly the votes in favour were 104, with 54 against and 29 abstentions (with 5 absent at the time of the vote). 

Another step forward was taken also in respect to the second vote on the pro moratorium Resolution in December 2008 when there were 105 in favour, 47 against and 34 abstentions (6 were absent at the time of the vote).

The most significant political data regarding the favourable is that of 6 countries that in 2008 voted against (Kiribati, the Maldives and Mongolia) or abstained (Bhutan, Guatemala and Togo) or the abstentions of 4 countries (Comoros, Nigeria, the Solomon Islands and Thailand) that in 2008 voted against. 

The number of cosponsors of the Resolution also increased, 90 in total, three doing so for the first time: Cambodia, Russia and Madagascar. 

The only new part of the text of the Resolution concerns the request – in part contained in the 2007 text – directing the member states to ‘make information available relevant to the use of the death penalty to allow an informed and transparent national debate.' 

“The new vote at the UN in favour of the moratorium records the positive evolution happening for more than ten around the world towards the end of the State-Cain and the ending of the fake and archaic principle of an eye for an eye,” Hands Off Cain secretary Sergio D’Elia said.