Media
statement by Member of Parliament for Batu Kawan and Publicity
Secretary for Wanita DAP Kasthuri Patto on Monday 10 October 2016 to
commemorate the 14th World Day Against Death Penalty
campaign organised by Amnesty International in KL & Selangor
Chinese Assembly Hall, Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia
has 4 years left to find its moral compass to end crime, not life if
it wants to be respected in the eyes of other progressive, democratic
nations.
Today,
10th October is the 14th World
Day Against Death Penalty and
currently in Malaysia, according to a parliamentary reply last year,
629 Malaysians and 413 foreigners are currently awaiting executions
on our very own soil.
To
date, 103 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes,
6 for ordinary crimes, 31 as abolitionists in practice and 140
countries that have removed capital punishment in law and practice.
To date, 58 are still retentionist countries.
Malaysia,
a country in its 59th
year of independence, is sadly still a retentionist country along
with other nations that are facing civil wars, rotting human rights
standards, gross social and economic inequalities, high crime rates
including sexual violence against women and children and human
trafficking, slavery, corruption and mismanagement of public funds.
The
most recent statement by the former law minister of Malaysia Nancy
Shukri, stated that after 3 years of research by the International
Centre for Law and Legal Studies (I-Cells), and the recommendations
by the study would be put forth by cabinet soon. However her
statement clearly shifted the goal post by now pinning the reason for
delay was also that of the public opinion calling for “an eye for
an eye”. This, once again has thrown the spanner in the works and
the cabinet is silent (again) on abolishing the mandatory death
penalty.
If
the Malaysian government feels that the death penalty is a deterrent
to crime, then it should reflect on the other countries that it is
lumped together with, namely Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Botswana, China, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq,
Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman,
Pakistan, Palestine (State of), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore,
Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad And
Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United States Of America, Viet
Nam, Yemen and Zimbabwe. Not shockingly, according to the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime statistical reports, National
Crime Index Reports, reports on National Corruption and reports
of non-government paramilitary actions, some of the nations that have
the highest crime rates also have the death penalty used with the
intention to deter crimes. These countries like Trinidad and Tobago,
Nigeria, South Sudan are retentionist countries and yet are listed as
some of the most dangerous countries in the world this year.
The
government had expressed its intentions to abolish the mandatory
death penalty last year in November but it is coming to a year now
and no amendments have been tabled yet including what will be in this
October's sitting.
With
the occurrence of crime increasing by the day, be it murders,
kidnapping, drug smuggling, child abuse, rape, extortion, burglary,
and terrorist-linked activities, it is high time the Home Ministry
and the Attorney General's chambers put their heads together to
reevaluate initiatives, alphabet-soup programmes as well as
crime-combating activities to reduce crime in Malaysia.
Of
course, ending crime is a rather utopian concept to many sceptics out
there, but it should not deter Malaysians and the Malaysian
authorities to work towards it.
After
all, is Malaysia not 4 years away from being a developed nation in
year 2020?
Clearly,
the death penalty has NOT deterred crime in Malaysia and nether
should it be a regarded as a solution to reducing crime in the
nation.
Malaysia
has 4 years left to find its moral compass to end crime, not life if
it wants to be respected in the eyes of other progressive, democratic
nations.
Kasthuri
Patto
Member
of Parliament for Batu Kawan
Democratic
Action Party
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