Dr Koh Kar Chai
KUCHING (Sept 8): It is hoped that the need for medical doctors to be involved at the time of capital punishment will eventually be phased out, said Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Koh Kar Chai.
In a statement yesterday, he said this is because it runs antithesis to medical ethics for a doctor to be a part of capital punishments.
“The MMA lauds the announcement by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) that Malaysia will abolish the mandatory death and whipping sentences by the year 2023.
“The medical fraternity has been very concerned as to how certain individuals were subjected to mandatory death and whipping sentences when found guilty of the offences committed with no recourse to alternative sentencing taking into account the circumstances of the offence,” he said.
Dr Koh noted that it is a welcome change, which will allow the judges to apply their just decision on the cases being tried.
“(Also) to give a leeway to the learned judges to impose an appropriate sentence based on the circumstances of the crime,” he added.
On Tuesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that Malaysia will abolish the mandatory death and whipping sentences by next year, with amendments to the laws to be tabled in Parliament next month.
He said that judges will be given the discretion to hand down the two sentences instead if the amendments are passed.
“If everything goes well and there are no disruptions to the coming Budget session, we will no longer have the mandatory death sentence in 2023.
“This will also apply to whipping as it will be left to the discretion of the judges,” he was quoted as saying.
from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3cRCB3t
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