Death penalty for 32 offences to go
> Decision covers Dangerous Drugs Act, Firearms Act and Kidnapping Act: Liew
KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has decided that the death penalty for 32 offences under eight acts of law be abolished, and this includes Section 302 of the Penal Code (murder), said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong ( pix).
He said the decision, which was reached collectively, also encompassed the Firearms (Heavier Penalties) Act 1971; Firearms Act 1960, Kidnapping Act 1961, Armed Forces Act 1972, Bernama reported.
Also on the list is the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
“Following the decision, a Cabinet memorandum has been circulated to the relevant ministries for their comments and to get public feedback,” he said during the question-andanswer session in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
He was replying to a question from Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen (PH-Bandar Kuching), who wanted to know the government’s position on abolishing the death penalty, whether there would be exceptions for extremely cruel crimes.
Meanwhile, Liew also told the House the bill on the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) was expected to be tabled at the next parliamentary meeting after all issues and policies were finalised.
He said follow-up meetings on the setting up of the IPCMC had agreed that it should be truly independent, effective and have the powers to tackle problems involving the police force.
“The framework takes into consideration powers that are more holistic and in line with existing laws and are currently in force,” he said when replying to a question from Maria Chin Abdullah (PH-Petaling Jaya).
Liew said the police’s rights would also be upheld as enshrined in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.
In September, the government had announced the setting up of the IPCMC to replace the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC).
Maria also asked about recent comments made by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun, who had hoped that police rights would be maintained even though he was not against the setting up of the commission.
Liew stated that Article 140 of the Federal Constitution states that there should be a police force commission which will be responsible for appointments, promotions and all issues pertaining to the discipline of the police.
“This is where the rights of the police are guaranteed, as stated in the Federal Constitution. As you are aware, the IPCMC focuses on complaints against the police, where disciplinary action can be taken against them.
“In some ways this is contradictory to Article 140 because disciplinary action against the police is to be taken by the police force commission. According to Articles 132 and 144 of the Federal Constitution, powers surrounding disciplinary action against the police cannot be carried out by a statutory body,” he said.