Malaysian lawmakers have voted in favor of a landmark bill to eliminate mandatory death sentences and lifelong imprisonment, a move the government says is aimed at upholding individuals' right to life. The bill, which has been in the works for years as successive governments aimed to make the death penalty optional, was approved by the Parliament House of Representatives. It will now be presented to the government-controlled Senate for approval before it is presented to the king and officially enacted as law. The Deputy Law Minister, Ramkarpal Singh, stated in parliament on Monday that the principle behind every punishment in Malaysia is to rehabilitate prisoners, enabling them to reintegrate into society and serve the community after completing their punishment process.
The approved amendments to the law in Malaysia will enable the death penalty to remain as an option for nine offenses, including drug trafficking, terrorism, and murder, according to Ramkarpal Singh. However, judges will now have the discretion to impose a sentence of imprisonment ranging from 30 to 40 years and a minimum of 12 strokes of the rotan, rather than capital punishment by hanging. The new bill will also eliminate the death penalty altogether for certain other offenses, including two offenses that currently carry the mandatory death penalty. Additionally, life imprisonment will be replaced by a maximum jail term of 40 years, as stated by Ramkarpal. After roughly two hours of debate among lawmakers, the bill was passed through a voice vote. While some opposition MPs voiced their opposition to the changes, arguing that victims deserve retribution for crimes such as murder, the amendments were ultimately approved.