Malaysia parliament removes mandatory death penalty for drug offenders
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian lawmakers voted on Thursday (Nov 30) to remove the mandatory death penalty for drug offences, giving judges full power to decide sentences of drug offenders. The amendment to Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 was made to serve public interest and for the good of the nation, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman Said. She said Prime Minister Najib Razak felt the time had come for such an initiative to be taken in the government’s agenda to fight against drug abuse, which is the country’s number one enemy. “We have waited 34 years to change the mandatory sentence to discretionary punishment. “We are taking into consideration the public interests and well-being of the Malaysian population who now numbered over 30 million,” she said when winding up the debate on the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2017 at the Dewan R...
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