New Straits Times
KUALA
LUMPUR: The Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) has
called on the opposition and BN-controlled Dewan Negara to support
Putrajaya's plan to abolish the death penalty.
Madpet
spokesman Charles Hector Fernandez said the cabinet decision to abolish
the death penalty was good news for some 1,267 people facing death row.
“Madpet
hopes the MPs and senators from the opposition parties will fully
support the just move to abolish the death penalty,” he said in a
statement.
Fernandez’s concerns stem from the fact that the majority of senators in Dewan Negara are not from Pakatan Harapan.
In fact, the abolition of the Anti-Fake News Act which was approved in Dewan Rakyat failed at senate level on Sept 12.
Dewan
Negara president Tan Sri S.A. Vigneswaran announced that 28 members of
the senate had voted against abolishing the act, compared to 21 for.
Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong had on
Wednesday said the government would seek the abolition of the death
penalty.
Following
the Cabinet’s decision, he had said, a moratorium on carrying out the
death sentence was put in place, pending necessary amendments to the
relevant laws.
Fernandez said the announcement would be welcome news for the 1,267 inmates currently on death row as well as their families.
“These inmates make up 2.7 per cent of the 60,000 people in Malaysian prisons... their family members, their parents, can now breathe a sigh of relief.” © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd - Yahoo News, 11/10/2018
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