KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — The Malaysian Bar staunchly opposed today a suggestion by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and others that crimes such as corruption should be punished by capital punishment or caning.
It stressed its belief that everyone has the inherent right to life, which is “absolute, inalienable and universal”, irrespective of any crime committed by the accused.
“Empirical evidence shows that neither the death penalty nor corporal punishment has been effective as a retributory and deterrent sentence,” its president George Varughese said in a statement.
The Bar reiterated that corporal punishment must be totally abolished as a form of punishment for all offences, since it is a harsh and barbaric form of punishment.
According to it, corporal punishment causes harmful and long-lasting psychological effects, with no place in a modern, civilised and compassionate society.
Instead, it said Putrajaya should heed its proposals to reform the MACC, including by forming an independent Anti-Corruption Commission whose commissioners are independent, and their tenure secured.
Last week, the MACC had asked Putrajaya to consider the implementation of caning on offenders involved in corruption.
MACC Chief Commissioner, Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull said the proposed punishment on caning directly reflected the serious efforts of the agency to eradicate corruption in an all-out manner.
He explained that under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, the punishment for bribery offenders was merely a maximum jail sentence of 20 years (besides the fine).
Shukri pointed out that bribery was among the causes of the spread of other crimes and the caning punishment should be studied in detail.
