Final decision rests on Cabinet
Parliament to discuss death penalty if abolishment gets go ahead
ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Cabinet will make the final decision on whether to bring the abolishment of mandatory death sentence to Parliament next month, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong.
He pointed out that the government made the suggestion to abolish the mandatory death sentence on Oct 10 last year.
Liew added that following the suggestion, he met with relatives of the victims and death row inmates as well as from civil society and non-governmental organisations.
“We have taken everything into consideration for the Cabinet to decide on the matter.
“If the Cabinet agrees to it, then it will be brought to Parliament in March,” he said when met after visiting a proposed site for a new court complex here in Kota Iskandar yesterday.
The next Parliament session will take place from March 11 to April 11.
The abolishment of the death penalty involved 33 offences provided for under eight Acts of law, includ- ing Section 302 of the Penal Code, which deals with murder.
At present, there are some 1,200 people on death row for crimes including murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, on his visit to the site, Liew, the de facto Law Minister, said there was a need for Johor Baru to have a new court complex replacing the present one along Jalan Ayer Molek in the city centre.
He said the building, which is more than a 100 years old, has been identified as a heritage site.
The proposed site is located on a 6.88ha land within Kota Iskandar, which is next to Bangunan Sultan Ismail where the Johor state assembly is.
“The Federal Government will propose a land swap with Johor government, where we want to exchange the land for the present building,” he added.
Liew said the estimated cost for the new court complex was around RM200mil.
“We hope to have the project as direct tender as there is an urgent need for a new court complex here. The present one has many issues including electrical problem,” he added.